J 



THE yOICE 



OF 



JESUS SUFFERING 



TO 



THE MIND AND 

j^EART OF JChRISTIANS: 

A BOOK ON THE PASSION. 



DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS. 



BY A PASSIONIST MISSIONARY PRIEST. 



"We preach Christ crucified." — Cor. I, 2, 3. 




"Jesus having suffered in the flesh, be ye also armed with the samb 
thought." — i Peter, iv, 1. 

... _ 

NEW YORK: 
P O'SHEA, PUBLISHER, 

37 Barclay Street. 

1877. 

7r 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877 # fcy the 
Rev. Gaudentius Rossi, C. P., 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington* 



10 - 
m 

I 

PAPAL DECREE 

pq 

BY THE SUPREME PONTIFF PIUS VI, 

THE ORIGINAL OF WHICH IS PRESERVED IN THE ARCHIVES OF 
THE ARCHIEPISCOPAL COURT OF FLORENCE, 

Registered on the 13th day of July, 1801. 

Ex Audientia SancHssimu 

His Holiness Pope Pius VI, desiring to increase the 
devotion of the faithful, and to promote the welfare of souls, 
has vouchsafed, at the request of the undersigned, to grant 
to all the faithful who, with attention and devotion, will, for 
at least a quarter of an hour, reflect on the passion or death 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, seven years and as many quarantines 
of indulgence from spiritual debts in any way contracted 
against Divine Justice. Moreover, to all those who, during a 
month, selected by them, will daily perform this pious 
exercise, approach the sacrament of penance, receive the 
holy communion, and pray to God for the exaltation of our 
holy Mother the Church, for the extirpation of heresies, for 
peace and concord among temporal rulers, the Sovereign 
Pontiff mercifully grants, in the usual ecclesiastical form, a 
plenary indulgence, and the remission of all sins on the day, 
during said month, that each person may freely choose. 
All these indulgences cap, be applied, in the way of suffrage, 
to the souls in purgatory. 

Lastly, His Holiness, without publishing any brief, decrees 
that this Apostolic Indult shall be and remain forever in vigor. 

A. M. ARCHBISHOP OF ICONIUM, 

Apostolic Nuncio. 



Florence, Tuscany, 

February 6th, 1799. 



DEDICATION" 



TO 

THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

Most holy and adorable Heart of Jesus, oppressed with 
anguish in the agony of Gethsemani, torn with grief by the 
malice of sinners, deeply offended at the treason of Judas, 
afflicted by the calumnies of false witnesses before the public 
tribunals, mocked by King Herod, condemned by the 
Synagogue and by Pilate to the cruel and ignominious death 
of the cross, derided and blasphemed by impious and 
wicked men during the three long hours of Thy crucifixion, 
and pierced at last by the soldier's spear ! I, the least and 
most unworthy of Thy worshippers, bring this book to the 
foot of Thy cross, and humbly, but ardently, desire to offer, 
dedicate, and consecrate it forever to Thy honor and glory. 

Divine Heart of my Saviour, furnace of light and love ! 
make it truly the voice of Jesus suffering to the mind and 
heart of all Christian readers, by enlightening our minds with 
Thy heavenly wisdom, and by inflaming our hearts with the 
fire of Thy divine lov.e. 

The gift is poor, and the offerer is unworthy of Thy attention, 
but I present it to Thee through the virginal hands of Thy 
immaculate and sorrowful Mother, who is by right the Lady of 
the Sacred Heart. How imperfect soever the offering may be, 
and however unworthy the offerer is, yet I fear no repulse from 
Thee, gentlest and sweetest of hearts, because I fully trust in 
Thy infinite goodness and mercy, and in Thy boundless filial 
love and respect for Thy most holy Mother, whose adopted 
child I am, and who has with such heroic generosity associ-. 
ated herself in Thy anguish, and so largely cooperated in the 
merciful work of my redemption. 

Most merciful Heart of Jesus ! deign to accept this humble 
present, and to bless the unworthy giver, by making him, like 
Thee, truly meek and humble of heart. 



PREFACE. 



This new book on the passion of our dear Lord has been 
tn great part compiled from other works of rare merit, treat- 
ing on the same subject We have, as it will appear, occa- 
sionally drawn some valuable pearls from " The Hidden Treas- 
ure, " * 'II Tesoro Nascosto, " of the great Ventura, without doubt 
the most learned and solid Catholic writer of the present age. 
We have extracted an entire introductory chapter, and many 
beautiful ideas from the compact " Universal History of our 
Lord's Passion " of the pious and learned Father Francis 
Constero, S. J. , published in the Latin language at Antwerp, in 
the year 1587. Another more famous Jesuit, the great Cor- 
nelius A Lapide, has furnished us with ample materials from 
the rich mine of his learned Commentaries on the sacred 
Scripture. 

For our model, however, in the form of this book, we have 
taken an Italian work on the passion, with the title, ' c Gesu 
Penante al Cuore del Cristiano, " printed in Florence, Tuscany, 
in the year 1802. We have used the Fourth Edition. This 
work, even in Italy, is out of print. We have in substance 
preserved this title, with some modification demanded by the 
different nature of our present volume. We transpose it : 
"The Voice of Jesus Suffering to the Mind and Heart of 
Christians. " 

We call it The Voice of Jesus Suffering, because our author 
makes our blessed Saviour, for reasons given in his introduc- 
tion, relate the history of the passion, immediately before each 
Consideration and the Practical Reflections. This is a pleas- 
ing novelty in books of this kind, which, we trust, will be 
found agreeable to pious souls. 

Having, however, learned from the great Ventura that mere 
sentimentalities can never give us a correct idea of the sub- 
lime and profound mystery of the passion of the Incarnate 
Wisdom of God, we have judged best to give the following 
title to this book : "The Voice of Jesus Suffering to the Mind 
and Heait of Christians." No doubt, the tender mystery of the 
passion should touch and move the heart of every devout 
Christian. This should not be neglected in a book of this 



YlH 



PREFACE. 



kind, wherein we learn the infinite love of the eternal Father, 
through which He gave to us His most beloved Son, and 
wherein in characters of blood we read of the excessive charity 
of Jesus in suffering and dying upon a cross for our salvation. 
But we are firmly convinced that true, solid, and lasting devo- 
tion should pass to the heart through the gate of the mind. 
It is through the light of the mind that the will of man has 
to be effectively moved to embrace any deserving object, and 
to cling to it with loving tenacity. This method has been 
followed in this work. How far we have succeeded, the de- 
vout and attentive reader will be able to judge. 

It has been with this object in view that we have given fuller 
explanations of different circumstances of our Saviour's passion 
than will be found in any ordinary book on this important 
subject. This has been our aim in the preliminary remarks 
that we have prefixed to the Consideration of our dear Lord's 
scourging at the pillar, and to that of His crucifixion. If 
this plan has enlarged the dimensions* of this book, we 
trust that it has also enhanced its value and usefulness. We 
have divided this book into two parts. In the first part, in- 
structions are given, teaching how to meditate. The second 
part contains the subject-matter for meditation on the passion. 
In every Consideration, besides the respective history of the 
passion given in the words of our divine Master, there are 
always three Points, sometimes four : each Point is divided 
by numbers. When the three are found too long for an or- 
dinary meditation, the pious reader may confine himself to 
one or two according to his leisure and devotion. This book, 
however, will be found conveniently adapted for spiritual read- 
ing by every class of pious Christians. Living as we do in an 
age of materialism and infidelity, we have occasionally warned 
our readers against these dangers. For reasons mentioned in 
the proper place, we have thought fit to close this work with 
some considerations on the resurrection of our divine Saviour. 

In our style we f have been in earnest, studying simplicity 
and clearness. We have written for the honor and glory of 
our crucified Saviour, whose humble disciple we profess to be ; 
and for the spiritual welfare of souls, whose temporal and eter- 
nal happiness we sincerely desire. If we attain these two 
objects, we will consider ourselves amply rewarded for our 
humble labors. We trust that no objection will be made to 
a new book on the passion, on the ground that we have other 
books of the same kind. Here we can use St. Augustine's 



PREFACE. 



ix 



maxim, that it is advisable to write upon an important subject 
in different styles, varying diction and phraseology, in the 
hope of inducing more numerous readers with different tastes, 
to peruse at least one of these diversified works. We know 
no more important subject for a Catholic writer than the 
sacred passion of our divine Saviour. This mine of Christian- 
ity is inexhaustible. With the great and holy Pope St. Leo, 
we believe that, where the subject for praise is inexhaustible, 
there can never be too many panegyrists : "Nunquam materia 
deficit laudis, quia nunquam sujficit copia laudatoris" (St. Leo 
Papa, Serm. ix, De Nativit. Domini. ) St. Paul says : ' ' Many 
of the brethren having taken courage by my chains, are much more 
bold to speak the word of God without fear. . . provided that 
everyway, whether by occasion or by truth, Christ be preached; 
in this I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice" (Phil., i, 18. ) We will 
conclude with St. John, the beloved disciple : " There are many 
other things that fesus did, which, if they were written every 
one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the 
books that should be written " (John, xxi, 25.) 

We dedicate this book to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and 
we sincerely desire to place, as far as it is in our power, every 
devout reader of it in this most holy furnace of divine love, 
light and grace, trusting to have a share in his charitable 
prayers. For the encouragement of every devout Christian 
towards practising meditation on the sacred passion of our 
divine Saviour, we herein translate an Indult of Pope Pius VI, 
wherewith the Supreme Pontiff grants partial and plenary 
indulgences, applicable to the souls in purgatory, to all 
those pious Catholics who undertake this holy and salutary 
devotion. 

This book has been revised by competent priests, and is 
published with the approbation of ecclesiastical authority. 

Lastly, we do, in anticipation, entirely and absolutely sub- 
mit -whatever we have written to the infallible judgment of 
the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, the 
mother and mistress of all churches. 



G. R., C. P. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Saint Teresa, the great teacher of prayer, says, in the fourth chaptei 
of her life : "The meditation of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the fountain-head from which came and continually flows every good 
to us, is that safe and excellent way through which ail Christians should 
ordinarily walk in the practice of virtue and perfection." 

In another place the saint points out an excellent method of perform- 
ing this meditation, which will be found easy for beginners especially. 
"Represent to your imagination," she says, u Jesus Christ, our Re- 
deemer, present to you, near you, in a sensible form. Look at Him 
devoutly in that state or condition wherein He really was in the mystery 
of His holy life and passion, on which you desire to meditate. Listen 
to Him attentively; for Jesus speaks to the heart of those who lovingly 
wish to converse with Him. He will inspire you with the words and 
sentiments which He desires to hear from your heart." (Way of 
Perfection, c, 14, 16.) Let all pious souls, desirous of learning how 
to meditate, pay deep attention to these admirable words of St. Teresa. 

We will adhere to this golden rule in the meditations on our Lord's 
passion, which, at the request of those whose wish is a command to us, 
we undertake to publish in this book. The various Considerations will 
be arranged according to the order of time in which the respective 
sufferings were endured by our divine Lord. We have judged proper 
to place in the blessed mouth of our Lord Jesus the dolorous narrative 
of His sufferings, being persuaded that through this means the following 
advantages could be more effectively obtained. In the first place, we 
believe that pious Christians will pay more respectful attention to these 
sacred truths, when announced by Jesus Christ in person; secondly, 
in consequence of this, the history of the passion will remain more 
deeply impressed upon their devout hearts. In the third place, the 
narrative of these bitter sufferings, learned from the sacred lips of the 
divine Victim, will more strongly move the soul to sentiments of 
heartfelt compassion and love for Jesus suffering, to sorrow for sin, to 



Xll 



INTRODUCTION. 



acts of self-immolation and penance,, to the practice of virtue, and to 
an active zeal for the salvation of souls, that have cost so dear to Jesus 
crucified. 

"The human soul," says the devout Carthusian, Lanspergius, "is 
inclined to hear with greater eagerness, and execute with more loving 
fidelity, what she learns immediately from God. We naturally prefer 
to listen to the relation of an event described by the person who was 
an actor in it, than to a distant historian of the fact." This is more 
particularly the case when the speaker is a person who was induced by 
his ardent love to labor and to suffer much for our sake and in our 
personal behalf. Hence this pious author placed in the mouth of Jesus 
Christ the narrative of those events of His sacred passion, which he 
judged proper to propose for meditation to his readers in his celebrated 
book entitled, "Documents of Spiritual Life." We could mention 
many very learned and pious authors who have practised the same 
method. But it will be sufficient to observe that our holy Mother the 
Church, the column and prop of truth, guided in every action by the life- 
giving influence of the Holy Spirit, acts in this wise manner in her 
solemn and sacred liturgy of Good-Friday. Though on that awful day 
the history of the passion is related in the Gospel of the Beloved Dis- 
ciple, an attentive and faithful witness of the event, yet, in exposing 
the sacred image of Jesus crucified to the eyes of the faithful, the 
Church represents Him as speaking to the people, and repeating with 
His own divine lips the most touching incidents of His cruel passion 
and crucifixion. Through this means the Church of the living God, 
the Loving spouse of the Lamb, evidently intends more effectively to 
move the hearts of her children to deep and lively sentiments of 
sorrow, compassion, admiration, love, and gratitude for the divine 
Sufferer. 

Having thus exposed the method which we have judged advisable to 
follow in this book of our Lord's passion, we will proceed now to say 
e few words more in relation to this work. 

We have taken from the four Evangelists the whole history of the 
passion. From the mystery proposed for our meditation, we have 
drawn some reflections ; we have pointed out the fruits which can and 
should be gathered from it; we have indicated the resolutions that 
might be made, and the pious practices which should be followed, in 
order to improve the tenor of our life, correspond with the love of our 
clhine Master, and conform ourselves to Him in the exercise of those 



INTRODUCTION. 



Xlll 



virtues which He has been pleased to point out to us in a more especial 
manner by his example, during the course of His holy passion. 

It is not, and cannot be, expected that every reader of these Medi- 
tations should apply to himself all the reflections therein made ; but 
every person should select what is most adapted to his wants. Let 
every reader of this book remember the advice given by the wise man : 
u When thou shalt sit to eat with a prince, consider diligently what is 
set before thy face." (Prov., xxiii, I.) The meditation on the passion 
of our Lord Jesus Christ is like a rich banquet provided with an 
abundant variety of exquisite viands ; not that each guest should eat 
to satiety of everything, but in order that every one may select what is 
most agreeable to his taste, and best adapted to his personal wants. 
For this reason, in making reflections and in proposing practices, we 
have had in view some time one vice, some time another, now one, 
then another virtue. We address our words to sinners and to the 
just, to beginners, to proficient and to perfect Christians. Let, then, 
the prudent reader select what is best adapted to his spiritual require- 
ments, and pay particular attention to those instructions and devout 
practices which he will find most advantageous to his soul. 

We have concluded the Meditations with a prayer to Jesus suffering. 
To this we have added a short aspiration to our sorrowful Lady, for 
the following motives : First, in order to induce the pious Christian to 
compassionate, in her profound grief, the Virgin Mother of our divine 
Saviour, and our adoptive mother also. For, according to the com- 
mand of God, " We should never forget the groanings of our mother" 
(Ecclus., vii, 29.) Second, in order to move him to correspond devoutly 
to the great love that our Blessed Lady manifested for us during the 
bitter passion of her divine Son. Third, in order to teach him to place, 
after Jesus, all his filial confidence in Mary, and to have recourse to her 
most sweet maternal heart in all his wants. 

We should state that to the history of the Four Evangelists we 
have added some things not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, which, 
however, have been received through an ancient tradition of the 
Church, and are supported by the strongest reasons. We have like- 
wise expressed some pious opinions and devout sentiments intended to 
excite more effectively the reader's devotion. We have in this followed 
the example of the seraphic doctor, Saint Bonaventure, in his book of 
meditations on the u Life of Jesus Christ." 

But we agree with him that these and similar pious thoughts should 



XIV 



INTRODUCTION. 



be accepted with prudent reserve. The words of this holy doctor 
are so full of wisdom, so adapted to our present purpose, and so well 
express our design, that we translate them. We beg the reader, to accept 
them as our own true and real sentiments, and as a declaration and 
protestation relative to anything and everything we have written in this 
book, which we intend to submit in every word to the judgment of the 
Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. The following are St. 
Bonaventure's words: "Do not imagine that we can meditate on all 
that is known to have been said or done by Jesus Christ, or that all His 
words and actions have been written. To facilitate the meditation on 
the sacred passion, I will relate events according to the probability 
which attaches to them. For we are permitted to meditate, under- 
stand, and explain the Sacred Scriptures in various ways which we deem 
useful, provided nothing is affirmed contrary to Christian faith and 
morality. When, therefore, devout reader, you find me relating that 
our Lord Jesus Christ said or did some thing or other which cannot be 
proved from Holy Scripture, you should not take^ it in any other sense 
than that of a pious sentiment in meditation.'' (St. Bonav., Life of 
Jesus, chap. I.) Again he says: " Receive my words with due con- 
sideration ; because I do not intend to affirm anything which cannot be 
proved from the holy Bible, from the Fathers of the Church, or from 
sound and well-approved authors." (Chap. 72.) 

Finally, in relation to the treatise on prayer and meditation which we 
have added to this book, we wish only to express the hope that the 
devout reader will find it of much utility in practising mental prayer. 

May God vouchsafe to bless this work, and, in His infinite mercy 
and through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, render it conducive 
to the eternal salvation of our fellow Christians ! Happy we, dear 
reader, if, during this short and miserable life, we shall continually 
strive to bear impressed on our mind and heart the history of our 
Lord's passion, endured by Him for each of us as if we had been 
alone in this world. For each of us should say with St. Paul: "/ 
live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself 
for me." (Gal., ii, 20.) It will be still better for us if we can affirm 
with the same holy apostle: "/ judge not myself to know anything 
among you but Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Cor., ii, 2.) And 
again : " God forbid that I should glory but in the cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ t by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world" 
(Gal., vi, 14.) Finally, we will be most happy if death shall find us 



INTRODUCTION. 



XV 



occupied in this holy practice of meditation on the sacred passion, and 
animated by sentiments and affections of a lively sorrow for our sins, 
which caused so many sufferings to our dear Lord ; and inflamed with 
a burning love in return for His exceeding great charity in vouch- 
safing to die a victim of love and pain upon the altar of the cross, to 
redeem us from our sins, and to open for us the gate of heaven. 

We will close this introduction with the advice of the above- quoted 
St. iWaventure : u If you desire, dear reader, to draw fruit from these 
meditations, strive to represent to your mind the words and actions of 
our Lord Jesus Christ described in this book, as if you were actually 
listening to them with your own ears, and beholding them with your 
own eyes. Banish, then, every other thought and care from your mind, 
and dwell upon them with all the affection of your soul, with great dili- 
gence, satisfaction, and leisure," 



BRIEF TREATISE UPON PRAYER AND MEDITATION ACCORDING TO 
THE TEACHING OF THE SAINTS. 

We have judged proper to preface in this first part a treatise upon 
prayer and meditation to the subsequent considerations on the passion 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. These instructions, on mental prayer are 
taken almost literally from the teaching of the saints, who, being in- 
structed by a special light of the Holy Ghost, and by their own happy 
experience, have left us in their writings what may be necessary and 
useful upon this highly important subject. Guided by their lights, we 
undertake to show how necessary mental prayer is, what should be the 
ordinary subject of our meditation, and what method we should use in 
this holy exercise. We feel certain that if you, dear reader, will adopt 
in practice the following directions, you will draw great fruit from this 
work to the great glory of God, and to the spiritual improvement of 
your soul. Let us, then, with the help of God, proceed to our task. 



i CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

DECREE OF POPE PIUS VI. - - - - - iii 

DEDICATION - - - - - - - - V 

PREFACE --------- vii 

FIRST PART. 

Introduction - - - - - - . - xi 

Brief Treatise on Prayer and Meditation - - - xvi 

Chapter I. 

Necessity and Excellence of Prayer i 
Chapter II. 

The Passion of Jesus Christ is the best Subject for Medita- 
tion - 5 

Chapter III. 

Preparation for Meditation and its Parts - - - 10 
Chapter IV. 

How Meditation is made - - - - - -14 

Chapter V. 

How to meditate on the Passion of our dear Lord - 19 
Chapter VI. 

Conclusion of Meditation - - - - - -33 

Chapter VII. 

Some Advice concerning the Practice of Meditation - 37 

Chapter VIII. 

Important Instructions for meditating on the Sacred Pas- 
sion of our Lord Jesus Christ, with great spiritual 
Profit - 50 



xviii CONTENTS. 

SECOND PART. 
PREAMBLE, 

I 

JESUS ON THE CROSS EXHORTS ALL CHRISTIANS TO MEDI- 
TATE FREQUENTLY ON HIS PASSION. 

PAGE. 

Voice of Jesus -------- 71 

Practical Reflections - 79 
Prayer - 83 

I. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS TAKES LEAVE OF HIS MOTHER TO BEGIN HIS PASSION. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - - 85 

Practical Reflections - - - - - - 87 

Prayer - - - - 91 

II. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS WASHES THE FEET OF HIS APOSTLES. 

Voice of Jesus -------- 92 

Practical Reflections - 93 
Prayer - - 97 

III. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS INSTITUTES THE SACRIFICE AND SACRAMENT OF THE 
HOLY EUCHARIST. 

Voice of Jesus - -- -----99 

Practical Reflections - - - - - - 101 

Prayer - 109 

IV. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS DELIVERS TO HIS APOSTLES HIS LAST SERMON, 
AND HIS NEW TESTAMENT OF LOVE. 

Voice of Jesus _ _ -in 

Practical Reflections - - - - „ _ II2 
Prayer - - . - - - ~ 115 



CONTENTS. xix 

V. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS GOES TO THE GARDEN OF OLIVES TO PRAY. 

PAGE, 

Voice of Jesus 117 

Practical Reflections - 119 

Prayer - - -128 

VI. CONSIDERATION. 

AGONY AND SWEAT OF BLOOD OF JESUS IN THE GARDEN 
OF GETHSEMANI. 

Voice of Jesus - 130 
Practical Reflections - - - - - -136 

Prayer - 143 

VII. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS BETRAYED BY JUDAS, AND BOUND LIKE A MALE- 
FACTOR. 

Voice of Jesus J 46 

Practical Reflections 148 

Prayer - - - 156 

VIII. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS LED BEFORE ANNAS, AND STRUCK ON HIS FACE. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - = =158 

Practical Reflections - - - - - -159 

Prayer - - - - 167 

IX. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS LED BEFORE THE HIGH PONTIFF, CAIPHAS. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - - -169 

Practical Reflections - - - - - 17c 

Prayer - - - - 175 

X. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS BLINDFOLDED, DERIDED, AND STRUCK. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - -177 

Practical Reflections 178 

Prayer - - -184 



XX 



CONTENTS. 



XI. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS DENIED THREE TIMES BY PETER. 

PAGE. 

Voice of Jesus - - - 186 

Practical Reflections - - - - - - 190 

Prayer - - - - - - - - -198 

XII. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS LED BEFORE PILATE AND ACCUSED. 

Voice of Jesus - - - 200 
Practical Reflections - - - - - - 204 

Prayer - - -210 

XIII. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS SENT TO KING HEROD, AND SCORNED BY Hill. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - - -212 

Practical Reflections - - - - - -214 

Prayer - - - - - - - -221 

XIV. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS BROUGHT BACK TO PILATE, AND POSTPONED TO 
BARABBAS. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - » -223 

Practical Reflections - - - - « -226 

Prayer - -- -- -- -- 232 

XV. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS SCOURGED AT THE PILLAR. 

Preliminary Remarks relative to the Flagellation of Our 

Lord Jesus Christ - - - - - -234 

Voice of Jesus - 240 

Practical Reflections 244 

Prayer - - 253 



CONTENTS. 



XXI 



XVI. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS CROWNED WITH THORNS AND DERIDED. 

PAGE. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - - -255 

Practical Reflections - - - - - 258 

Prayer - - -272 

XVII. CONSIDERATION. 

THE "ECCE HOMO" JESUS IS SHOWN BY PILATE TO THE 

PEOPLE : 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - - -275 

Practical Reflections - - - - - - 276 

Prayer - - - - - - - - 280 

XVIII. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH BY PILATE. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - - - 282 

Practical Reflections - - - > - - 285 
Prayer - - - - - - - 293 

XIX. CONSIDERATION. 

JESUS CARRIES THE CROSS TO MOUNT CALVARY. 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - - 295 

Practical Reflections - - - - - 298 

Prayer ~ - - - - 309 

XX. CONSIDERATION. 

CRUCIFIXION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

Preliminary Remarks - - - - - - -311 

Voice of Jesus - - - - - - - 330 

Practical Reflections - - - - - - -332 

Prayer - ------- - 342 



xx ii CONTENTS. 

XXI. CONSIDERATION. 

THE GARMENTS OF JESUS ARE DIVIDED AMONG HIS 
EXECUTIONERS. 

PAGE. 

Preliminary Remarks - - * - - - ~ ~ 344 
Voice of Jesus - 347 
Practical Reflections - - - - - - "349 

Prayer --------- 360 

XXII. CONSIDERATION. 

The seven last Words of our crucified Saviour - - 362 

XXIIL CONSIDERATION. 
First Word of Jesus on the Cross - - - - - 368 

XXIV. CONSIDERATION. 

Jesus on the Cross prays for His Enemies - - - 384 

XXV. CONSIDERATION. 

Second Word of Jesus on the Cross - 402 

XXVI. CONSIDERATION. 

Third Word ©f Jesus on the Cross - - - -417 

XXVII. CONSIDERATION. 

Fourth Word of Jesus on the Cross - - - - 4 42 

XXVIII. CONSIDERATION. 

Fifth Word of Jesus on the Cross - - - - 459 

XXIX. CONSIDERATION. 
Sixth Word of Jesus on the Cross - - - - 472 

XXX. CONSIDERATION. 
Seventh Word of Jesus on the Cross - - - - 487 



CONTENTS. xxiil 

XXXI. CONSIDERATION. 

PAGE, 

Death of Jesus on the Cross - 507 

XXXII. CONSIDERATION. 

The Rupture of His Heart is the immediate Cause 

of Jesus' Death - - - - - - -516 

XXXIII. CONSIDERATION. 

Manifold Prodigies at the Death of Jesus - 530 

XXXIV. CONSIDERATION. 

The Side of Jesus is pierced with a Spear - - - 540 

XXXV. CONSIDERATION. 

The Body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross - - 550 

XXXVI. CONSIDERATION. 

The Burial of Jesus - - - - - - "557 

XXXVII. CONSIDERATION. 

The Sepulchre of Jesus - 563 

XXXVIII. CONSIDERATION, 

The Resurrection of Jesus - - - • -573 



i 



THE VOICE 



O F 

JESUS SUFFERING 

TO THE 

MIND AND HEART OF CHRISTIANS. 



CHAPTER I. 

NECESSITY AND EXCELLENCE OF PRAYER. 

Saint John Chrysostom justly observes that 
prayer is no less necessary for a Christian soul, than 
food, drink, and garments are necessary for the 
preservation of our mortal bodies. He calls prayer 
the source of every good. Upon the words of our 
divine Lord and Master, " We ought alzvays to pray 
and not to faint." (Luke, xviii, I.) The holy doctor 
remarks that this word, we ought, imposes upon us 
an obligation to pray. (Serm. de Moyse.) 

St. Teresa writes : " Christian souls without the 
practice of prayer are like the body of a paralytic, 
which, though provided with hands and feet, yet 
they cannot be of any use to him. But any soul 
that faithfully perseveres in prayer, though op- 
pressed by the devil with sin, yet I hold as certain 
that at last our Lord will hear and save her. Hence 
the reason why the devil uses every stratagem to 
withdraw our souls from prayer, because he too 

i 



2 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



well knows that he cannot obtain the final perdition 
of any person that faithfully perseveres in prayer." 
(From her Life.) St. Thomas of Villanuova says that 
"prayer is to the soul what natural heat is to the 
stomach, without which it is impossible to preserve 
our bodily life, because food cannot be digested 
without it, nor afford any nourishment to the 
oody." (From his Life, chap, ii.) Hence St. Augus- 
tine said : " We shall be saved if we die well ; we 
shall die well if we live well ; and we will live well 
if we pray well. He knozvs hczv to live well who has 
learned to pray well " (Serm. 126. de Temp.) 

If prayer is necessary for the preservation of the 
spiritual life of the soul, it is evidently more neces- 
sary for our spiritual progress in virtue, as St. 
Francis of Assisi used to say . (History of the Friars 
Minor, book i, c. 7.) Without prayer no person can 
presume to advance in the service of God. The 
reason for this is given by St. Gregory of Nissa 
(Homil. 1, De Oratione): He zvithdraws from God 
who does not strive to keep united to God by prayer. 

St. Vincent Ferrer used to say : " It is necessary 
to know that prayer is required for every action 
that we may have to perform in this world ; be- 
cause it is certain that every good, bodily or 
spiritual, temporal or eternal, must come to us from 
God. For St. James says : 4 Every best gift, and 
every perfect gift is from above, coming down from 
the Father of lights ' (St. James, i, 17.) By every best 
gift, we must understand all temporal and material 
goods ; and by every perfect gift, we should under- 
stand all spiritual and supernatural graces, which 
can only be communicated to us from above, from 
the Father of light, namely, the God of the angels. 
If, therefore, thou desirest to irrigate thy garden 
with water from another source, it is necessary for 
thee to dig a channel through which the water may 
flow to the plants ; so if thou desirest to obtain for 
thy soul the life-giving waters of divine grace, and 
material goods for thy temporal welfare, it is 



The Necessity of Prayer. 



3 



necessary for thee to dig, and prepare the channel 
for these graces and gifts, through vigorous and 
fervent prayer to God from whom every perfect 
gift must come." (St. Vincent Ferr. Sermon 6 for 
the sixth Sunday after Pent.) 

St. Bonaventure, quoted by St. Peter of Alcantara, 
has the following words upon this subject : " If you 
wish to bear with Christian patience the trials and 
miseries of this life, seek your courage and comfort 
in prayer. If you desire to practise virtue, and 
acquire strength to overcome the attacks of the 
infernal enemy, betake yourself to prayer. Prayer 
is necessary for you to resist your evil inclinations 
and vicious appetites. You should have recourse 
to prayer if you wish to discover the snares and 
avoid the deceits of the devil. You must practise 
frequent prayer if you really desire to lead a happy 
life, and to walk in the way of self-denial and mortifi- 
cation with calm sweetness. ,, (St. Peter of Alcant., 
Treat, upon Prayer.) 

St. Charles Borromeo wrote : " Prayer is the 
beginning, the progress, and the perfection of all 
virtues." (Pastoral Letter.) St. Vincent de Paul 
used to say : " Let us learn to pray, let us love this 
holy exercise, because there is nothing more neces- 
sary and more useful than prayer. And, in fact, 
steadfastness in good, success in our undertakings, 
victory over temptations, rising from our falls, final 
perseverance in God's holy grace, and eternal 
salvation, — all are the effects and the reward of 
prayer." (St. Vincent's Life, book ii, c. 5.) Hence 
in the words of our divine Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, we shall repeat : Pray alivays, pray without 
intermission, pray mentally, pray vocally, pray in 
meditation, meditate in prayer. 

St. Francis de Sales says : " Apply yourself with 
great courage and confidence to this holy and 
beneficial exercise, and do not allow your inter- 
course with men, or any vain amusement, to deprive 
you of the singular privilege and happiness of con- 



4 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



versing heart with heart with our Supreme Good ; 
because if, after God has permitted you to taste of 
this heavenly manna, you show disgust for it, you 
will more keenly feel its loss, and you may run the 
risk of never obtaining it in future." (St. Francis de 
Sales, letter 13, book 2). 

In the following chapter we intend to point out 
the subject upon which we should more frequently 
meditate during our prayer, in order to produce in 
our mind pious thoughts, and enkindle in our hearts 
the fire of divine love, which will excite us to the 
practice of virtue and the acquisition of Christian 
perfection. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE BEST SUB- 
JECT OF OUR MEDITATION. 

The principal occupation of a truly Christian soul 
should be to meditate frequently, and to penetrate 
deeply the mysteries of our Saviour's life, in order 
to copy and express them in her conduct. But she 
should, in a more special manner, study the sublime 
and awful mystery of the passion. As members of 
Jesus Christ we should be ever united with Him 
during His life, but we should more particularly be 
identified with Him in his sufferings. In short, we 
Christians should, as St. Paul says, be a living image 
of Jesus crucified. Hence this holy apostle pro- 
tested to " know nothing but Jesus Christ and him 
crucified" (i Cor. ii, 2); that he gloried in nothing 
but in the cross of Jesus (Gal. vi, 14) ; that her 
was with him fastened to the cross (Gal. ii, 19) ; 
that both in his heart and on his body he bore the 
stigmas of Jesus. (Gal. vi, 17.) In a word, St. 
Paul was a living copy of Jesus crucified. We are 
obliged to follow the example of this great apostle 
through gratitude to Jesus Christ, and to promote 
our own spiritual interest. In the first place, grati- 
tude to Jesus obliges us frequently to think on His 
sacred passion. In fact, it was during His sacred 
passion that Jesus Christ manifested His greatest 
love for us by dying in an excess of humiliations 
and sufferings. We cannot, therefore, better testify 
our love and gratitude for Him than by uniting our- 
selves with Him in His sufferings and humiliations. 



6 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Our own interest also requires our frequent 
meditation on the Passion. St. Augustine says 
" that nothing is more conducive to the sanctifica- 
tion of the soul than the daily remembrance of what 
Jesus Christ has suffered for our sake." Before 
him the great Origen said : " It is certain that sin 
can never dwell in a soul where the remembrance 
of Christ's death is preserved : Certum est, quia ubi 
mors Christi in anima circumfertur, non potest regnare 
peccatumy The devout and sweet St. Bernard used 
to say : " I constitute all my wisdom in the medita- 
tion of the passion of my Saviour. In this I find 
the most efficacious means for attaining the highest 
degree of perfection ; this is for me the richest 
treasure of grace, and the most abundant source of 
merit. The passion of Jesus is to me the fulness of 
all knowledge and of all holiness/' (St. Bernard, 
xi, 3, Cantic.) 

St. Bonaventure says : " If thou desirest, O man ! 
to advance from virtue to virtue and from grace to 
grace, meditate daily on the passion of Jesus Christ. 
There is nothing that promotes such universal 
sanctification in the soul as this holy meditation/' 
(Life of Christ.) 

" Meditation on the passion of Jesus Christ," 
writes St. Teresa, "is that excellent and sure road 
through which all Christians should ordinarily 
walk." The saint bitterly laments the blindness of 
some authors, whose books she had read, who taught 
that the meditation on the passion is an obstacle to 
the higher contemplation of the divine attributes. 
Then she exclaims, "O Lord of my soul, my cruci- 
fied God ! I cannot think of such an opinion without 
considering it high-treason against Thy divine 
majesty. Is it possible that Thou, my Lord, canst be 
an obstacle to me for the acquisition of any good, 
when every good has come to me from Thy infinite 
goodness?" (From her Life). In another chapter 
of the same book, the saint says: " Experience has 
taught me that, in order to please God and obtain 



The Passion the Best Subject for Meditation, 7 



great graces from Him, we must go to Him through 
the most sacred humanity of Jesus, in whom His 
divine Majesty finds all His delight/' 

St. Laurence Justinian, in his book de Discipl. et 
Perfect., c. viii, writes the following sentiments 
about the passion of our Lord : " Whosoever desires 
to become a faithful and prudent servant of the Lord, 
let him not omit to meditate on the life of our divine 
Saviour, but in a more special manner on His sacred 
passion/ 9 Blessed Albert Magnus likewise says: 
" We should attach high importance to the medita- 
tion on the passion of our Redeemer, because a 
simple remembrance of it, and much more a medita- 
tion on the sufferings of Jesus, is more profitable than 
many penances and long fastings/' 

This is one of the principal reasons why all masters 
of spiritual life have always used such care and 
diligence in inculcating to souls under their spiritual 
direction the interior and frequent exercise of 
meditation on the passion of Christ. They have 
taught and exhorted them to make Jesus crucified 
the habitual object of their thoughts and affections, 
the centre of all their desires, the calm haven of 
their rest, and their secure refuge in all their trials, 
dangers, and sufferings. 

St. Francis de Sales affirms that the consideration 
of the sufferings and death of Jesus is the sharpest 
spur to the soul towards advancing in the love of 
God. He called it the sweetest and most effective 
motive of piety and devotion. " Jesus on the cross/* 
the saint used to say, — " Jesus on the cross is the lion 
of the tribe of Juda, the enigma of Samson, wherein 
is found the mysterious honey of the strongest 
charity, whence proceeds the sweetness of our 
greatest interior joy." 

In fact, the death of our divine Saviour being the 
most generous effort of His love for us, it should be 
the strongest inducement to our love for Him. This 
made St. Augustine exclaim : " My crucified Lord, 
I entreat Thee to make mv heart to blaze with the 



8 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



fire of Thy sweet and ardent charity, that I may 
die through the love of Thy love, O Saviour of 
my soul ! who deigned to die through love of my 
love." 

During our Saviour's transfiguration on Mount 
Thabor, Moses and Elias spoke with Him of the 
excess of this stupendous love which induced this 
divine lover of souls to sacrifice His life upon Mount 
Calvary. This remarkable fact is intended to teach 
all Christians that in the glory of heaven, of which 
the transfiguration was a brilliant, but short figure, 
the memory of our Saviour's passion will be the 
most potent motive of our love for Him, after the 
contemplation of His divinity. Hence the angels 
and saints in heaven continually sing : " Worthy is 
the lamb that was slain, to receive power and divinity, 
and wisdom and strength, and honor ^ and glory y and 
benediction." (Apoc. v, 12.) 

The practice of frequent meditation on the sacred 
passion of Jesus was warmly recommended to the 
seraphic St. Teresa, as she relates in her life, by 
St. Francis Borgia, who advised her ever to begin 
her prayer with some consideration on the passion. 
" But if/' he added, " without any attempt on her 
side, God was pleased to elevate her spirit to some 
other contemplation, she was to make no resistance 
to the attraction of His divine love and pleasure." 

In the life of the devout, contemplative, and admir- 
able master of spirituality, Ven. John d'Avila, we 
read that it was his habitual practice to draw from 
the passion of our Lord the matter for his daily 
meditation, and the most cherished argument for his 
public discourses, wherein he displayed, more than 
in any other subject, all the charms and triumphs 
of his eloquence, often repeating with the apostle 
St. Paul : " / judge myself to know nothing but Jesus 
Christ, and him crucified." (1 Cor. ii, 2.) The cele- 
brated Father Laurence Scupoli, in his golden book 
called " The Spiritual Combat/' after having given 
excellent instructions to Christian souls for con- 



The Passion the Best Subject for Meditation, 



9 



trolling and regulating their sensitive appetites and 
passions, proceeds to give a method for meditating 
with spiritual profit on the mysteries of our Saviour's 
life and passion, and concludes with the following 
words : " Our crucified Lord is the book which 
should be read by all Christians in order to learn 
the practice of every virtue ; because this being the 
true book of life, it does not only enlighten the 
understanding, but, what is more important, it 
moves the will and inflames the heart through 
the living example of Jesus suffering. This w r orld 
is filled with books ; but all these books together 
cannot teach us in such perfect and effective manner 
how to practise all Christian virtues, as the sight of 
a crucified God/' 

Finally, the great Jesuit, Father Baltassar Alvarez, 
was accustomed to say that the general ignorance 
of the treasure that we possess in the passion of 
Jesus, caused the ruin and loss of innumerable 
Christian souls. Hence he frequently warned his 
spiritual children that no good could be expected 
from them until they had succeeded in impressing 
deeply on their minds and hearts the sacred image 
of Jesus crucified. 



CHAPTER III. 



PREPARATION FOR MEDITATION, AND ITS PARTS. 

The Holy Ghost, who is the spirit of truth and 
wisdom, has taught the necessity of preparation 
before prayer in the following words: "Before 
prayer prepare thy soul, and be not as a man that 
tempt eth God." (Ecclus. xviii, 23.) 

This preparation is divided into remote and 
proximate. The remote preparation consists in the 
mortification of our passions, in the purity of our 
heart from voluntary sin, and in the interior recol- 
lection of mind during our external and distracting 
occupations. (Scaramelli, Ascet. Direct., 1 treat, c. i.) 

The proximate preparation, of which we intend 
more particularly to speak, is divided into two 
principal points : the first of which is, to place 
ourselves in the presence of God ; the second is, to 
implore His divine assistance. (St. Francis de Sales, 
Devout Soul, part ii, c. 2.) There are four different 
ways of placing ourselves in the presence of God. 
First, a lively and attentive consideration of God's 
immensity, reflecting that God is everywhere, that 
there is neither a place nor a creature in this world 
wherein He is not truly and really present. u For in 
God we live, in him we move, and have our very 
existence," as St. Paul says. (Acts, xvii, 28.) In fact, 
as the birds, wherever they fly, are supported and 
surrounded by the air, and the fishes are every- 
where encompassed by the water of the ocean ; 
so are we, in every place and at every time, en- 
compassed and penetrated by the living presence 
of God. 



Preparation for Meditation. 



ii 



Reflect, in the second place, that God is not only 
present where you are, but that He is in a most 
special manner within your heart, and in the very 
depth of your soul ; that He is more intimately 
united with your spirit, than your soul is united 
with your body ; so that God in reality is the life of 
your soul, the substance of your spirit, the life-spring 
of your heart ; and, as your soul is in every organ, 
limb, and member of your body, but more particu- 
larly resides in your heart, so God is present to 
everything, but He more especially dwells in the 
very essence of your being, which is your spirit, 
or the soul of your soul. Hence, as red-hot iron is 
everywhere penetrated by fire, so God penetrates 
your spirit and your whole being. 

The third mode of placing yourself in the pres- 
ence of God is, to reflect that our Lord Jesus Christ 
in His glorified humanity looks from heaven upon 
every person on earth, but more particularly upon 
all Christians who are His children, or rather the 
members of His mystical body. More especially, 
however, He fixes His attention upon all those who 
pray, whose every thought and affection, action and 
motion He observes with the most careful vigilance. 
This is not a pious imagination, but a simple truth, 
because it is in Him and through Him only that we 
can pray. If we cannot with our corporal eyes see 
Him, yet we must believe that He beholds us from 
the throne of His glory. 

In the fourth and last place, we may in our 
imagination represent our divine Lord as present, 
and very near to us in His sacred humanity, and 
thus converse with Him as His holy apostles and 
disciples, and especially St. Mary Magdalen, did, 
whilst He was visible upon earth. 

We should reflect, however, that if we were to 
make our meditation before the most holy sacra- 
ment of the altar, which is very desirable, then this 
presence of our divine Saviour would be real and 
not imaginary. You may, therefore, pious reader, 



12 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



select any of these four methods for exciting in your 
soul a lively remembrance of the presence of God 
in your prayers and meditations. You should not 
attempt to use them all at the same time, but choose 
the one that suits best and attracts most your soul 
for the occasion. 

The second point to be attended to in the pre- 
paration is the invocation, or prayer for God's light 
and assistance during our meditation. Our soul 
being once penetrated with the lively thought of 
God's presence, she will naturally feel moved to 
prostrate herself in profound adoration of His 
Supreme Majesty, acknowledge her utter unworthi- 
ness of being admitted to His presence, and remain- 
ing so near to Him. But, on the other side, the soul 
knowing and reflecting that God's infinite goodness 
desires, and is much pleased, that we should be 
with Him, then she is moved to ask for light and 
grace to adore, worship, love, and serve Him well 
during the meditation. This sincere and profound 
sentiment of humility will also induce the soul to 
turn herself for assistance to the most holy Mother 
of God, to the holy patron, St. Joseph, to her 
guardian angel, and to all those holy persons w T ho 
may have been present at the scenes of the mystery 
intended for meditation, or who may have had a 
special devotion towards it during their life. As, for 
instance, if you desire to meditate on the crucifixion 
and death of our divine Saviour, you should ask the 
assistance of our sorrowful Lady, St. John, St. Mary 
Magdalen, the good thief, etc., St. Bridget, St. 
Francis of Assisi, St. Paul of the Cross, etc., in order 
to obtain through them a communication of their 
pious sentiments and the holy affections which they 
experienced. 

To these two ordinary points of the preparation 
a third is occasionally added, which, however, is not 
always used in every kind of meditation: this is 
what some authors call the composition of the place, 
or the prelude. This consists in representing to 



Preparation for Meditation. 



13 



our imagination the material circumstances of the 
fact or mystery upon which one intends to meditate, 
as if it actually happened at that moment before 
our own eyes. Suppose, for instance, that you wish 
to meditate on the crucifixion of our divine Lord 
and Saviour, you will imagine yourself present on 
Mount Calvary when this actually took place, look- 
ing attentively at everything that is done, listening 
to all that is said about our divine Victim. It 
would be still better, however, to imagine that the 
mystery actually takes place where and whilst you 
make your meditation. Represent the fact or 
mystery as actually taking place before your eyes, 
with all the details and circumstances described by 
the Evangelist. Through this hoi} 7 and pious prac- 
tice we will more easily succeed in fixing our mind 
on the subject of our meditation, and thus more 
effectually avoid and prevent distractions. 

All these beautiful practical instructions about 
meditation have been compiled from the golden 
work of St. Francis de Sales, u The Devout Life ; or, 
Philothea." (2d Part, chaps, ii-iv.) 



CHAPTER IV. 



HOW MEDITATION IS MADE. 

The office and duty of the preparation of which 
we have just treated, are properly compared to 
those of an usher who has to introduce the visitor 
before a great personage from whom he expects to 
receive important favors. Admitted to his presence, 
the visitor looks at him with respectful attention, and 
expresses to him his wants and desires. Through 
the help of preparation our mind having been 
introduced to the subject of our meditation, our 
soul fixes the eye of her understanding upon it, and 
expresses her wants and desires with her spiritual 
mouth or tongue, which is her will. Hence we 
should learn that the exercise of our understanding 
and will is necessary in order to perform our medi- 
tation well and with profit to our soul. Meditation, 
then, essentially consists in the exercise of these two 
powers of our soul, namely, the understanding and 
will, upon some pious subject with the intention 
of drawing spiritual advantage from it. 

St. Augustine defines meditation, " A diligent 
search after some hidden truth/' (Lib. de Spirit, et 
Anima, c. 32.) With this the holy doctor clearly 
teaches that our understanding must lead the way in 
this search, in which we should proceed without 
hurry, and step by step, until we have penetrated 
into the very centre or essence of the Catholic truth, 
fact, or mystery, upon which we are meditating. 
Hence we should advance calmly, with mature re- 
flection and sound reasoning. We should help 
ourselves with proper similitudes, useful compari- 



How Meditation is Made. 



15 



sons, and opportune examples, which may help our 
mind fully to apprehend the truth upon which we 
are meditating, until we remain perfectly convinced 
and satisfied with it. (Scaramelli, Ascet. Direct., 
treat, i, art. v, c. 3.) 

It will be of great help to the understanding, in 
this pious occupation, to make use of the following 
four considerations. First, an investigation of the 
real causes and true reasons which originated the 
fact or mystery upon which we meditate. Second, 
an inquiry into the intended object of the fact which 
we meditate. Third, a careful examination of the 
effects thereof, namely : the advantages or evils that 
it is calculated to produce. Fourth, finally, some 
reflections about the circumstances of time, place, 
manner, and persons, by which the fact may be 
accompanied or surrounded. 

About this operation of the understanding, St. 
Teresa gives the following practical directions and 
illustrations : — " If you wish to meditate on the 
scourging of our divine Lord and Saviour at the 
pillar, reflect seriously upon the following circum- 
stances : Who is it that suffers ? How much does 
He suffer? How does He suffer? Namely, with 
what patience and charity? For whom does He 
suffer? Ah! It is for me, an ungrateful creature, 
a wicked sinner.'' (From her Life, chaps. 13, 83.) 

We should ever remember that this meditation is 
not intended for, and should not be turned into, a 
barren speculative study of the truths of our holy 
religion, without any immediate practical fruit. 
But we should meditate with the intention of mov 
ing our will to the practice of solid virtue, and 
especially to the love of God and of our neighbor. 
Hence the discourse and reflections of our under- 
standing during meditation should not be dry and 
barren speculations, merely directed to the compre- 
hension of some Christian truth ; but should be in- 
tended and directed to the purification of our soul, 
to the reformation of our life, to the elevating and 



1 6 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

attaching our heart to God's holy love and service, 
and to the honor and imitation of His saints. This is 
what was meant by the great St. Augustine in the 
following words : " Through meditation and con- 
templation our spirit ascends to God, and through 
His lights and inspirations God descends to our 
soul." (St. Augustine quoted by Scaramelli, Ascet. 
Direct, p. i, tract, i, art. v, c. 3.) This was the 
fruit derived from meditation by holy King David, 
who said : " My heart grew hot within me, and in 
my meditation a fire shall flame out" (Ps. xxxviii, 4.) 

In confirmation of all this, St. Francis de Sales 
teaches that the act of the imagination, or the 
representation of the mystery, is immediately fol- 
lowed by the reflections of the understanding, 
which we call meditation. The nature of this med- 
itation consists in one or more serious considerations, 
made in order to move the affections of our will or 
heart towards God and other heavenly objects. 
From this doctrine every person should learn that 
this kind of meditation is different by far from that 
speculative study and those reflections and consid- 
erations which are made by many persons, not with 
the desire of acquiring Christian virtues and the 
love of God, but with some other object and 
intention: as, for instance, to acquire knowledge. 
Having, therefore, concentrated your mind within 
the subject of your meditation, begin to make upon 
it those considerations, of which I have given you 
a specimen in the following meditations. (St. 
Francis de Sales, Devout Soul, p. 2, c. 5.) In fact, 
Father Lewis, of Granada, relates that Ven. John 
cT Avila used to say that we should go to our medita- 
tion more anxious to hear than to speak, more to 
exercise the affections of our heart than the specu- 
lations of our understanding. For, considering our 
baseness, we should not seek to speak with God, 
but rather choose to remain before His divine Maj- 
esty with profound respect, in humble silence and 
loving hope, expecting to move His divine mercy 



How Meditation is Made, 



17 



to compassion for our miseries at the sight of our 
manifold wants, as a poor beggar, covered with 
ulcers, remains at the door of a charitable gentle- 
man, asking alms by silently showing his painful 
sores. This holy man was accustomed to follow 
in practice this humble method of meditation. He 
used to kneel before a crucifix with his hands 
affectionately clasped to the cross, his bare head 
bowed down in humility, with profound recol- 
lection, and with a loving, childlike confidence, 
awaiting until God was pleased to admit him to 
an audience, and communicated his lights and in- 
spirations to his soul. This devout manner of 
prayer was so agreeable to God, that he bestowed 
upon his humble servant the most abundant gifts ; 
lavishing upon him the treasures of his heavenly 
graces, as the eminent sanctity of his life evidently 
testifies. 

In our meditation, as soon as our mind has pene- 
trated and fully apprehended the truth of the 
mystery intended for our consideration, our will, 
or rather heart, thus brought in contact with it, 
will experience a salutary change, becoming soft 
and impressible, like melted wax. Then is the 
happy moment for giving vent to holy affections of 
various kinds, which are the precious fruit of the 
whole meditation. 

These affections vary according to the different 
subjects of our meditations, and they may be ex- 
pressed in sentiments of repentance, sorrow, hatred 
and detestation of sin, in a deep knowledge of our 
own misery, confusion, and self-contempt, fear, 
love, desire, gladness, joy, compassion, resolutions, 
prayer, thanksgiving, and similar pious and devout 
affections. There are some affections, however, 
that, as a general rule, should never be omitted, 
because upon these depends the real and lasting 
fruit of our meditations, which consists in the re- 
formation of our conduct and the improvement of our 
life. These are : the acknowledgment of our past 



1 8 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

transgressions, followed by an humble confusion, 
sincere repentance, and firm determination of 
amending our life for the future, adding some fer- 
vent and earnest prayer, in order to obtain from 
God the efficacious grace for the faithful execution 
of these resolutions. (Scaramelli Ascetic Direct., 
p. i, tract, i, art. v, c. 3, No. 174.) 

Upon this important point St. Francis de Sales 
gives the following directions. " Meditation/' he 
says, " produces holy affections in the will." These 
may be the love of God and of our neighbor, the 
desire of heaven, zeal for the salvation of souls, 
imitation of the life of our divine Saviour, compas- 
sion for His sufferings, admiration, joy, fear of dis- 
pleasing God, dread of the severity of His judgment, 
of the eternal punishments of hell, hatred for sin, 
confusion for our past infidelities, confidence in the 
goodness and mercy of God. In these affections 
our spirit should dwell and concentrate itself as 
long as possible. 

We should not, however, be satisfied with general 
affections and resolutions ; but we should come to 
particular and practical actions for the correction 
of our special failings, and for the amendment of our 
conduct. Take, for example, the first word of our 
Saviour upon the cross as the subject of your medi- 
tation. This will, no doubt, produce in your soul the 
desire of imitating His example in pardoning your 
enemies. But I tell you that this is too little and too 
vague; you should come more to particulars For 
instance, you should make a special resolution of 
being upon your guard, and carefully avoiding giv- 
ing any external Sign of displeasure when such or 
such person, a member of your family, or otherwise, 
may say or do this or that thing which may be dis- 
agreeable and painful to your feelings. You should, 
moreover, resolve to say or to do some particular 
thing calculated to soften them and win their good- 
will and affection. The same should be done about 
the other resolutions in our usual meditations. (St. 
Francis de Sales, Devout Life, p. 2, c. 6.) 



CHAPTER V. 



HOW TO MEDITATE ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD, 

In meditating on the sacred passion of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, it will be found easy for a pious Chris- 
tian to excite in his heart devout affections analo- 
gous to the mystery meditated, if he will take care 
to dwell on the consideration of those motives most 
apt to produce them in his soul. Hence I will give 
here some practical models principally intended for 
the guidance and assistance of pious beginners in the 
exercise of meditation. 

1st. — Motives for exciting love toivards Jesus suffering. 

Consider seriously this astonishing Christian 
dogma of faith, God dies for love of man ! Can 
we comprehend these awful words, God dies for 
man? Do we believe this solemn truth? Can we 
reflect upon it without experiencing a profound 
sentiment of awe and admiration for the infinite 
wisdom and goodness of our divine Lord? Con- 
sider for a moment who is this God who dies for 
man ; who is man for whom God dies upon a cross ! 
God is an eternal, self-existing, omnipotent Being, 
supremely happy ; a divine Being possessing in 
His very essence all possible perfections in an infinite 
degree. God is the fulness and the inexhaustible 
fountain of all being and of all good. 

What is man? Quid est homo? Man is a most 
miserable creature, the embodiment of weakness, 
ignorance, sinfulness, in a word, worse than nothing ; 



20 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



yet God for the sake of this vile creature sacrifices 
His omnipotence, His supreme happiness, His in- 
dependence, His life. Behold what is meant by 
these words, God dies for man. 

2d. — God cruelly offended dies for His enemies. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ said that to die for our 
friends is the greatest proof of our love for them. 
But He went much further. He actually died for 
His ungrateful and vile enemies. By a word, by a 
simple act of His omnipotent will, He could have 
plunged them all in an instant into the eternal 
flames of hell. He had no need whatever of us, 
wretched sinners. Yet this Man-God, this merciful, 
loving Redeemer, instead of punishing us, as we 
deserved, undertakes to atone for our sins, suffers 
for us the most excruciating torments to satisfy 
divine justice, and finally dies on a cross like a male- 
factor to obtain for us life everlasting. 

^d.— Jesus dies after shedding all His blood when He 
could have redeemed us without suffering. 

Jesus Christ being a divine person, His smallest 
action was of an infinite value. Hence He could 
have redeemed and saved a thousand worlds with 
one single act of virtue, with a tear, with a drop of 
sweat, with a sigh, yet, through His infinite love 
for us, He chose to be overwhelmed in an ocean 
of most bitter sufferings. Redemit unda cum posset 
gutta (S. Bernard) : when He could save us with a 
drop, He for our sake preferred to swallow a sea of 
bitterness. 

4th. — Considerations for exciting our compassion for 
Jesus suffering. 

Jesus endures the most incomprehensible suffer- 
ings and humiliations. He is called by the prophet 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



21 



Isaias the Man of sorrows, the most despised and 
abject of men. (Isa. liii, 3.) 

In order to form some idea of the greatness and 
intensity of our dear Lord's suffering, reflect for a 
moment on the number and variety of persons 
who combined in tormenting Him. Jews and Gen- 
tiles, people and magistrates, scribes and Pharisees, 
soldiers and civilians, Jewish priests and supreme 
Pontiff, Herod the king, and Pilate the Roman 
governor, Judas and Peter: in fact, all His apostles 
and disciples contributed to His sufferings. Con- 
sider, moreover, the multitude, the greatness, the 
duration, the quality of the torments endured by 
our blessed and most innocent Saviour. Reflect 
here on His most refined and sensitive bodily 
organization, a body conceived through a most 
astonishing prodigy of the Holy Ghost, and formed 
from the purest substance of an immaculate Virgin 
Mother. Reflect, as fa^ as you can, on the 
sublimity of His divine intelligence and wisdom 
which made our Saviour apprehend all the deform- 
ity, malice, and wickedness of the criminal acts of 
His enemies. Consider the tenderness of His loving 
heart, the liveliness of His imagination, the serious 
and constant application of His soul to all His 
sufferings, in order to endure them all, sanctify them 
all, and apply them all and each in due time to the 
healing of our spiritual wounds, and the conversion 
and sanctification of our souls. In this way only 
can we succeed in forming some imperfect idea of 
the magnitude of our Saviour's sufferings. 

Pass now to the attentive consideration of His 
manifold and profound humiliations and outrages. 
He was rudely seized and bound with manacles 
and chains like a thief. He was buffeted like 
an impostor, spat upon as a blasphemer, derided 
like a fool, mocked as a despicable wretch, scourged 
at a pillar like a rebellious slave, postponed to 
Barabbas the murderer, and lastly crucified in a 
public place between two highway-robbers, as if He 



22 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



were the most guilty among them. Behold here at a 
glance to what an excess of ignominy and suffering 
the Son of God is reduced for our sake. 

Jesus suffers all this, and much more than we are 
able to understand and express, and suffers all 
voluntarily for our good. During all His passion, 
and in each special torment, Jesus had His eyes con- 
stantly fixed upon us, and offered all His sufferings 
and humiliations to His eternal Father in our 
behalf, bequeathing to us all the treasures of His 
merits, through His desire of obtaining the salvation 
and eternal happiness of our souls. The attention 
and intention of our suffering Saviour was not merely 
directed to all men in general and collectively, but 
to each individual person, as St. Paul teaches: "I 
live in the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and 
delivered himself for me" (Gal. ii, 20.) The love 
of our Lord for you, for me, dear reader, was so 
great, that He would have endured all the torments 
of His passion, if we had been the only two persons to 
be saved in this world. More than this. Our Lord 
Jesus Christ loves us so much at this very moment 
that, if necessary for us and possible to Him, He 
would gladly endure for our sake the same humilia- 
tions and sufferings, which He once suffered during 
His passion and at His death upon the cross. If St. 
Peter was so surprised, when he beheld his divine 
Master kneeling before him in the act of washing his 
feet, that he stood up and exclaimed, " Dost thou 
wash my feet ? " — Tu mihi lavas pedes ? — what, then, 
should our astonishment be when we behold the same 
divine Master agonizing and sweating blood in the 
garden of Gethsemani for each of us in particular ? 
Should we not say to him in astonishment, My 
Jesus, this mortal agony, this sweat of blood for 
me ! When we contemplate Him buffeted, mocked, 
derided, spat upon, should we not say : Dear Jesus, 
all these humiliations, all these outrages for me to 
cure my pride! When we behold Him bound to 
the pillar, cruelly scourged, crowned with piercing 



Hoiv to Meditate o?i the Passion. 



23 



thorns, wounded and bleeding in every part of His 
sacred body, let us say to Him : " I firmly believe, O 
my suffering Saviour ! that Thou endurest all these 
torments and sheddest Thy blood for my sake, to 
heal the wounds which my sensuality and lust have 
inflicted upon my soul." Do the same in meditating 
on the crucifixion, and on every mystery and stage 
of the passion. 

Do not consider this merely as a pious devotion. 
It is a solemn truth, in fact, it is an article of Chris- 
tian faith, that our individual sins have been the 
primary cause of our divine Saviour's sufferings. 
The Holy Ghost through the prophet Isaias says: 
" Surely he hath borne our infirmities, and carried our 
sorrows, he was wounded for our iniquities, he was 
bruised for our sins." (Isa. liii, 4, 5.) And the same 
holy prophet, speaking in the person of the eternal 
Father, says: "For the wickedness of my people I 
have struck him." (Ibid, v, 8.) " The Lord has laid on 
him the iniquity of us all" (Ver. 6.) 

5///. — Considerations to excite us to the imitation of 
Jesus in His sufferings. 

Imitation of Jesus is necessary for our salvation. 
St. Peter says : " Christ also suffered for us, leaving 
you an example that you should follow his steps." 
(1 Peter, ii, 21.) St. Paul more emphatically affirms 
that all those who are to be saved, must become, 
by the imitation of His virtues, like unto the image 
of Jesus Christ. Because God has preordained 
that all His elect shall be conformable to the 
image of His Son: "For whom he foreknew, he also 
predestinated to be made conformable to the image of 
his Son : that he may be the first-born amongst many 
brethren." (Rom. viii, 29.) Hence, unless we are 
ready and willing to bear our cross and follow our 
Lord Jesus Christ to Mount Calvary, we cannot 
be His disciples upon earth, and much less His 
coheirs and companions in glory. (Luke, xiv, 27.) 



24 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



6th. — The imitation of Jesus Christ is our highest 
glory and happiness. 

Consider that the nobility of the Master is the 
glory of the disciple. If we have to suffer and to 
bear humiliations, let us look up to Jesus, and we 
shall find Him suffering the same things, and incom- 
parably more. Having to carry our cross, let us 
carry it with Jesus ; let us bear it for His dear 
sake. What greater honor and happiness can a 
true Christian desire than that of being the living 
image of Jesus Christ, true God and true man? 

If the highest ambition of worldlings is to imitate 
the customs, fashions, and whims of persons high in 
dignity, should we Christians not glory in the imi- 
tation of the Lord of lords and King of kings? 
Through profound respect for the holiness and 
learning of the great St. Basil, his disciples strove 
to imitate his every external motion and action. But 
in Jesus Christ we have incarnate wisdom and in- 
finite holiness. Holiness and wisdom are the two 
prerogatives that deserve honor, and can procure 
true and lasting happiness. The primitive Chris- 
tians, enlightened by the doctrines and encouraged 
by the example of the apostles, understood well 
this maxim, and practised it with fervor and 
fidelity. Hence St. Paul congratulated the devout 
converts of Philippi for their fellowship in the 
Gospel of Christ from the first day until then : — 
" For unto you" he says, " it is given for Christy not 
only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him." 
(Phil, i, 29.) St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, 
writes: "Brethren, being partakers of the sufferings 
of Christ, rejoice ; that when his glory shall be revealed, 
you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you 
be reproached for the name of Christ, you shall be 
happy. For that which is of the honor, glory, and 
power of God, and that which is his spirit^ resteth upon 
you. . . . But let none of you suffer as a murderer, 
or a thief, or a railer or as coveting the goods of others. 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



25 



But if as a Christian let him not be ashamed, but let 
htm glorify God in this name. For the time is that 
judgment should begin at the house of God. And if 
first at us, what shall be the end of them that believe 
not the Gospel of God? And if the just man shall 
scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the 
sinner appear? . . . Wherefore let them also that 
suffer according to the will of God, commend their 
souls in good deeds to the faithful Creator." (1 Pet. 
iv, 13, etc.) 

Pious reader, we have given this long quotation, 
because we live in sad times, when we have to suffer 
much for our faith in Jesus Christ. Impious and 
wicked men are at present cruelly persecuting the 
Church of the living God. Christianity is hated. 
The Holy Father, Pius IX, is a prisoner. The time 
is that judgment should begin at the house of God, 
as St. Peter, the first infallible pope, says. For some 
years to come we may have to suffer much for the 
sake of Jesus. But if we suffer as good Christians, 
let us not be ashamed, but let us glorify God in 
that name. For the burden of the honor, glory, 
and power of God, and of His spirit, resteth upon 
us. Meditate often and deeply upon these divinely 
inspired words of the first holy and infallible Vicar 
of Jesus Christ. 

Jth. — Motives of Confidence. 

Reflect seriously that the sufferings and the 
merits of our divine Redeemer are of an infinite 
value, and that consequently His atonement infinitely 
surpasses the malice of all our sins. " Because with 
the Lord there is mercy and with him plentiful redemp- 
tion. And he shall redeem Israel from all his ini- 
quities." (Ps. cxxix, 7.) 

Our most holy Saviour by any one of His sufferings 
has honored more the majesty of God, than it has 
ever been dishonored by all the sins of men. One 
drop of His most precious blood is more than suf- 

2 



26 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



ficient to atone for all the iniquities and sins of ten 
thousand millions of worlds. All these sins, com- 
pared with the merits of our Lord's passion, are 
not more than a drop of water compared to an im- 
mense ocean. " With him there is plentiful redemp- 
tion." Therefore, Christian reader, have full con- 
fidence in the two infinite arms of God's mercy and 
of your divine Saviour's redemption, lovingly ex- 
tended to receive and embrace your repentant soul. 
How great and numerous soever your sins may be, 
the merits of our Saviour's passion are infinitely 
greater. Great and urgent may be the wants of 
your soul, but the treasures accumulated for you 
through the atonement of Jesus Christ are inex- 
haustible, because infinite. Hence St. Paul says : 
" I give thanks to my God always for you for the grace 
of God, that is given you in Christ Jesus, that in all 
things you are made rich in him" (i Cor. i, 4, 5.) 

8th. — These merits and satisfactions of Jesus are our 
own property. 

To understand this consoling truth, reflect that 
Jesus Christ is our head, and that we are His mem- 
bers. We became infected with the sin of Adam, 
because Adam was the head and the representative 
of our humanity; and thus the poison of sin was 
communicated in anticipation to all his future pos- 
terity. But what sin could effect through Adam, 
a weak man, the all-powerful grace of the God-man, 
Jesus, can destroy. " Wherefore as by one man" St. 
Paul says, " sin entered into this world, and by sin, 
death, and so death passed unto all men, in whom all 
have sinned, . . . so also by the justice of one there is 
justification of life unto all men." (Rom. v, 12.) 

We should, moreover, remark that in Adam there 
was only one title through which he could infuse 
into his posterity the deadly poison of sin. This 
title was his headship of humanity, his character of 
universal representative of all men. But in Jesus 



Hozv to Meditate on the Passion. 



27 



Christ there are two supreme prerogatives, namely ; 
that of Creator, Master, and Lord, and that of 
Redeemer, Victim, and Saviour. As Creator, Jesus is 
the first and most absolute head of humanity, as 
well as of all creatures, whilst Adam was only His 
vicegerent over men. As Redeemer, He is the 
first supreme head of the Church. "For in him 
were all things created in heaven and upon earth, 
visible and invisible, whether Thrones, or Domina- 
tions, or Principalities, or Powers. All things were 
created by him and in him ; and he is before all, and 
by him all things consist. He is the head of the body, 
the Church, . . . that in all things he may hold the 
primacy. Because in him it hath well pleased the 
Father, that all fulness should dwell ; and through 
him to reconcile all things unto himself, making peace 
through the blood of his cross, both as to things that 
are on earth, and things that are in heaven." (Col. i, 
16, etc.) 

Lastly, St. Paul teaches that we are punished 
only through one sin of Adam, which was that of 
violating the divine and explicit command not to 
eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and 
evil. We are not punished for any other personal 
sin that Adam or Eve might have subsequently 
committed. 

But through the atonement of Jesus Christ not 
only original sin is completely blotted from our 
soul, but also, when applied as God wills, all our per- 
sonal sins are entirely forgiven. Moreover, all the 
immense treasures of merits acquired by Jesus 
Christ are entirely and forever bequeathed to 
us. The following are St. Paul's words: "And 
not as it was by one sin, so also is the gift." (Mark 
well this word gift.) "For the judgment indeed 
was by one unto condemnation ; but the grace is of 
many offences unto justification. For if by one man s 
offence death reigned through one ; much more they 
zvho receive abundance of grace, and of the gift and 
of justice, shall reign in life through one Jesus 



28 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Christ!' (Rom. v, 16, 17.) Hence St Paul adds: 
" I give thanks to my God always for you for the 
grace of God, that is given you in Christ Jesus, that 
in all things you are made rich in him!' (1 Cor. 
i, 4, 5.) The riches of the father belong to the 
children, the wealth of the corporation is the pro- 
perty of all the members thereof. We Christians 
are the children of Jesus Christ through His holy- 
Church ; we are the true mystical members of 
His body ; therefore, His wealth is our property, His 
immense riches belong to us, His infinite merits are 
our inexhaustible treasures. May Jesus be forever 
praised and glorified for His goodness ! 

There is a second consideration to be made, which 
will confirm all that we have said. An ordinary 
parent may have need of his riches for his own 
use. But our Lord Jesus Christ had not, and could 
not possibly have, any need of suffering, atoning, 
or meriting for Himself. He had no sin to atone 
for. He had no need of meriting what He possessed 
in all fulness for a most glorious eternity in the 
happy bosom of His Father. Because, as we have 
seen above, it has well pleased God that all fulness 
should dwell in Him. He needs nothing who pos- 
sesses the fulness of all things. 

But, again, an earthly parent may give away or 
bequeath his property to other persons who are 
not members of his family. Jesus Christ, however, 
is not only the best of fathers, who will not in the 
least tittle deprive His most beloved children of their 
needed property ; but He is the head of the body, 
which never can deprive the true members of any 
advantage derived from its superior abundance. 
The head is all for its members. " For in him 
(Jesus Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the God- 
head corporally, and you are filled in him, who is the 
head of all principality and power!' (Col. ii, 10.) 

Let us, however, settle this essential point in a 
more intelligible and practical way, better under- 
stood and appreciated by modern society. Jesus 
Christ has, by a public and solemn deed signed with 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



29 



His own blood, truly bequeathed to us all the riches 
of His grace and glory. " When you were dead in 
your sins . . . he hath quickened together with hint, 
forgiving you all offences ; blotting out the hand- 
writing of the decree which was against us, which was 
contrary to us. And the same he took out of the way, 
fastening it to the cross ; and despoiling principalities 
and power S) he made a show of them confidently, 
triumphing openly over them in himself." (Col. ii, 
I 3 _I 5-) Jesus, then, our great leader, king, and 
father, has triumphed over all His enemies, and 
generously made a present to us of all His rich 
trophies by a deed signed with His divine blood. 

Finally, the eternal Father has given His divine 
sanction to this deed of His Son. Divine justice is 
satisfied. Man is reconciled with God. " Thou, 
O Lord, hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people ; 
thou hast covered all their sins. . . . Mercy and truth 
have met each other : justice and peace have kissed." 
(Ps. lxxxiv, 3, 11.) Can we reflect upon all these 
consoling truths without feeling the most lively 
sentiments of hope in the goodness and mercy of 
God? Animated by this salutary hope, let us 
avail ourselves promptly of this favorable oppor- 
tunity. "Let us go, therefore, with confidence to the 
throne of grace ; that we may obtain mercy and find 
grace in seasonable aid." (Heb. iv, 16.) It is our 
privilege, as well as our duty, to apply to our 
needy souls these satisfactions and merits of Jesus 
Christ. If our soul has been wounded by sin, the 
healing balm of Jesus' blood is in our hands; if we 
are poor in spiritual things, the treasure of Jesus' 
infinite merits is in our possession. Christian sinner ! 
make a good confession, and your soul will be cured. 
Just soul ! receive often the holy communion, and 
you will be sanctified. Converted sinner, and just 
soul ! strive to gain the manifold indulgences offered 
to you continually by our holy Church, and you 
shall soon be enriched with the treasures of Jesus 
Christ and of his saints. 



30 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



gth. — Motives to a salutary fear. 

Consider what our Lord during His passion said 
to the women of Jerusalem : "If in the green tvood 
they do these things, what shall be done in the dry ? " 
(Luke xxiii, 31.) If on account of our sins God 
has so severely punished His own beloved Son, 
how severely will divine justice punish the obstinate 
sinner ! If we wish to understand the true malice 
of sin, we should often go in spirit to Mount Calvary 
and contemplate the Son of God bleeding and ago- 
nizing upon the cross. St. Augustine says : Fecisti 
Domine de cor pore tuo speculum animce mew — " Of 
thy body, O Lord ! Thou hast made a mirror for my 
soul." It is, then, on the body, it is principally in the 
sacred heart of Jesus, that we should study and 
strive to understand the malice of our sins. Jesus 
Christ on the cross is the most terrible example of 
the severity of God's justice against the sinner, and 
of the horror w r hich God's infinite holiness has 
against sin. Hence St. Laurence Justinian invites 
all Christian sinners to measure the wickedness of 
their crimes with the magnitude of Jesus' sufferings, 
and to read the amount of their debt to divine 
justice in the wounded and bleeding limbs of Jesus 
crucified : — In Christi patientis afjlictionibus tua 
metire delicta : debita tua in Christi lege membranis. 

icth. — -The Passion of Jesus Christ renders the sinner 

. inexcusable. 

\ 

" Now, O ye inhabitants of Jerusalem and ye men 
of Juda ! judge between me and my vineyard. What 
is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard, that I 
have not done to it ? " (Isa. v, 4.) 

In the last general judgment Jesus Christ, with a 
voice of thunder, will address this appeal to all the 
angels and saints of heaven, who are the inhabi- 
tants of the true Jerusalem, and to all the reprobates 
and demons, prefigured in the obstinacy of the men 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



31 



of Juda ; and will ask them to judge whether He 
could have done more for their salvation than He 
had actually done. In fact, the omnipotence of 
God exerted itself in the great mystery of the 
Incarnation. This mystery of the passion is the 
grandest boon of God's infinite goodness towards 
man, and the most surprising manifestation of divine 
wisdom. For it was only infinite goodness and 
wisdom that could find a means to adequately 
reconcile divine justice and mercy. This was fully 
accomplished " when the goodness and kindness of 
God our Saviour appeared, not by works of justice 
which we had done''' — for we were nothing but sin 
— " but according to his mercy he saved us by the laver 
of reg£neratwn, and renovation of the Holy Ghost, 
whom he hath poured forth upon us abundantly, 
through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that, being justi- 
fied by his grace, we may be heirs according to 
hope of life everlasting." (Tit. iii, 4.) All this out- 
pouring of divine goodness and mercy has not been 
confined to one day, to one month, or to one year ; 
but it has lasted now nearly two thousand years, 
during every moment of which every soul, well 
disposed, could have been replenished with God's 
grace, and eternally saved through the sacraments 
and ministrations of Christ's holy Church, spread 
over all the inhabited surface of the globe. 

After all this, and much more than can here be 
expressed, what excuse will the reprobates be able 
to advance before the awful tribunal of the offended 
divine Judge? Through their malicious obstinacy 
in error and sin they have rendered useless all the 
prodigies of divine goodness and mercy, and turned 
the grand work of human redemption into the most 
conclusive argument for their inevitable condem- 
nation and most severe eternal punishment. For 
the greatness of a God dying for our salvation must 
be considered the measure of His punishments 
against these unhappy souls. The love of Jesus, 
the goodness of a God-man expiring upon a cross 



32 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



for the salvation of sinners, His long patience in 
waiting for their conversion, His frequent, manifold, 
most loving invitations to repentance, His threats 
of punishment in case of obstinacy, His glorious 
promises of eternal reward if faithful to His repeated 
calls, the efforts of His Church to save them, — all these 
will become for impious and wicked men the most 
terrible and just motives for their condemnation. 
The worst punishment of hell for the reprobates 
will be the consciousness of having rejected in life 
the love of God, of having irritated His infinite 
goodness, and exhausted His long-suffering patience. 
Because this love of God despised, this goodness of 
God offended, the blood of Jesus shed on the cross, 
trampled under foot, the Church of the living God 
persecuted, must and shall become the causes, the 
motives, the measure, and the intensity of their 
everlasting torments. 

May the serious and devout meditation on our 
Lord's sacred passion make these solemn truths 
more clear to our mind, excite in our soul a salutary 
fear, and inflame our hearts with divine love ! 



CHAPTER VI. 



CONCLUSION OF MEDITATION. 

St. Francis de Sales prescribes two rules for the 
conclusion of mental prayer. The first has relation 
to the actual end of meditation ; the second gives 
directions for the practice of the resolutions made 
during meditation. 

About the first, this excellent master of interior 
life says : " We should conclude our meditation 
with three acts, which should be made with the 
greatest possible humility. The first is an act of 
thanksgiving whereby we should thank God for the 
lights communicated to us during meditation ; for 
the good affections and resolutions inspired by Him 
in our heart ; and for the sweet practical experience 
of His divine goodness and mercy vouchsafed to us 
during our mental prayer. The second is an offer- 
ing made to His divine Majesty of all His goodness 
and mercy, with the death, sacred blood, and merits 
and virtues of His divine Son, together with our 
own present affections and resolutions. 

The third act should be a petition made to God 
with great fervor, entreating Him to communicate 
to us the graces and virtues of His divine Son Jesus, 
and to bless our affections and resolutions, to the 
end that we may faithfully act in conformity with 
them, and with His holy inspirations. 

After this we should also pray for our holy 
mother the Church, for the pope, for our bishop, 
pastor, confessor, for our parents, relations and 
friends, living or dead, asking our Blessed Lady 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



with the angels and saints to intercede for us with 
God. Lastly, my advice is to close everything 
by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary, 
which are general prayers necessary for all the 
faithful. 

To all this I add another very useful practice, 
which consists in forming a pious nosegay of devo- 
tion for our use during the rest of the day. I will 
explain my meaning. Those persons, who have 
been walking in a beautiful flow^er-garden, do not 
like to depart from it without selecting a few nice 
flowers, to look at them and inhale their fragrant 
perfumes during the whole day. In our medita- 
tions we should imitate their example. Our spirit 
having been refreshed through the meditation of 
some sacred mystery, we should select one, two, or 
three points which have impressed us more deeply, 
and which we have found best adapted to our 
spiritual wants, in order that we may, like a 
heavenly nosegay, keep it always before the eyes 
of our mind, and. continue to inhale with our soul 
their sweet and invigorating fragrance. 

Now, this is obtained by reflecting for a short time 
on the same point which has most vividly impressed 
us during our meditation. This may be done before 
leaving the place of our meditation, or in a quiet 
solitary walk after it. (Devout Life, p. 2, c. vii.) 

Passing then to the practical fruits to be derived 
from meditation, St. Francis says that we should 
be careful during the day to call to mind frequently 
the resolutions made during prayer, in order to put 
them in practice at the proper occasion. Let us be 
persuaded that this is the most essential fruit of 
meditation, without which mental prayer is not 
only barren, but hurtful to the soul ; for virtue 
meditated, but not practised, not unfrequently swells 
the mind with pride and gives to it a false, sham 
courage, by leading us to imagine that we really are 
what w r e have resolved to be. This may be true 
when our resolutions are solid and effective in prac- 



Conclusion of Meditation. 



35 



tice, but they are vain and injurious when merely 
confined to the imagination. We should, therefore, 
make efforts to put them in practice, and seize for 
this end every opportunity, small- or great, that may 
present itself at any time. In fact, we should go 
further ; we should seek the occasion for enriching 
and beautifying our soul with virtue and merit, as 
a covetous merchant seeks to increase his wealth, or 
a vain, worldly woman studies to adorn her mortal 
body. For example : If you have resolved to win 
with meekness and kindness the spirit of those who 
have offended you, you should during that day 
try to meet them and offer them marks of your 
affection and benevolence ; and in case you cannot 
succeed in this, you should pray for them, and 
speak well of them. In going out from prayer with 
our heart filled with pious affections, we should 
proceed with calm recollection, like a person that 
holds a rich vessel filled with a precious liquor, lest 
we may soon spill the heavenly balm which we 
have gathered during our meditation. I mean that, 
as much as possible, we should preserve silence, and 
pass calmly from prayer to action without losing 
those holy sentiments and affections which we have 
just before conceived in our prayer. Had you 
received as a present a beautiful porcelain vessel 
filled with a precious liquor or balm, and you had 
to bring it home, you would certainly walk very 
slowly, and with great caution, avoiding looking 
about, but keeping your eyes on your feet for fear 
of making a false step, and from time to time giving 
a glance at the vessel in your hands to see that all 
was safe. You should act in like manner in coming 
out from your meditation. Do not allow your 
mind to be immediately distracted, but be upon 
your guard, keeping your spirit recollected in God. 
For instance, if you meet with a person to whom 
you are obliged to speak, or whom you should 
have to hear, do so because duty imposes this obli- 
gation upon you ; yet in such a way that your spirit 



36 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



be not dissipated thereby, but that it preserves, as 
much as possible, in its fulness the precious and 
sweet balm of devotion gathered during your 
mental prayer. Study to act in the same manner, 
and with the same prudent foresight, in all your 
other occupations, small or great, and the fruit of 
your meditation will continue during the day. 



CHAPTER VII. 



SOME ADVICE CONCERNING THE PRACTICE OF 
MEDITATION. 

L Be not disturbed in mind, and never interrupt 
your prayer on account of distracting thoughts, 
which may occur during your meditation. Masters 
of spiritual life, like Cassian and St. Augustine, teach 
that the highest contemplatives are subject to these 
distractions ; hence we should not be surprised if 
we have to endure the same trials. Involuntary 
distractions are neither injurious to the nature, 
nor to the effect and fruit of our prayer. Such is 
the doctrine of St. Thomas of Aquin. (22. Ques. 86, 
Art. 13, ad. 1.) Voluntary distractions should be 
immediately checked by placing ourselves in the 
presence of God, and then continuing our prayer. 
Because, as those persons who occasionally fail in 
temperance, should not entirely omit to take the 
necessary food, but should moderate and correct 
their passion of gluttony ; so those persons, who 
occasionally give way to voluntary distractions in 
time of prayer, should not give up on this account 
this holy exercise, but should be watchful and deter- 
mined to correct their fault, by banishing these 
untimely thoughts, and by applying more diligently 
to meditation. 

St. Francis de Sales, writing upon this subject, 
says : " As soon as you perceive your distraction, 
make use, with calm sweetness of spirit, of some 
pious words which will unite your soul with our 
Lord, and be not surprised at these distractions. ,, 
(Book iv, Let. 82.) 



38 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



In another place he says : " When your mind is 
distracted, try to bring it back to the point of your 
meditation, and gently, by degrees, draw near to 
our Lord, being persuaded that if all the prescribed 
time of prayer were to pass in this way, namely, in 
your watching the wandering of your mind, and 
replacing your soul at the feet of your divine Lord, 
every time that inopportune distractions seek to 
draw it away from Him, your time of meditation 
should be considered well and profitably spent, and 
very pleasing to His divine Majesty. " (Book ii, Let. 
52.) St. Teresa gives the same advice, saying: 
" Distractions are a source of troublesome affliction 
to souls given to mental prayer, because these 
distracting thoughts carry the mind here and there, 
and with the mind draw away our heart. These 
distractions may proceed from three causes. First, 
from the im mortification of our senses; secondly, 
from the dissipation of our mind ; thirdly, from the 
permission of God, who desires to try the fidelity 
of His servants, Now, in these cases, we should 
from time to time recall our wandering thoughts 
by reviving our faith in the presence of God, and 
by placing ourselves before His divine Majesty 
with great reverence and respect; and if we cannot 
succeed in fixing our attention upon the subject 
of our intended meditation, we should try to bear 
this troublesome vexation with humble patience. 
Let us be persuaded that our time will not be lost, 
as some may imagine. But, on the contrary, such 
prayer will often prove more advantageous to our 
soul than many others performed with recollection 
and inward satisfaction. The reason is, because so 
many acts of watchfulness and patience performed, 
in order to keep away distractions, to avoid giving 
offence to God, and to enable ourselves to serve 
Him better, must be considered as so many acts of 
God's holy love." (Spiritual Diary, Prayer 13). 

In the book of Genesis we read a fact which will 
illustrate this doctrine about our involuntary dis- 



Advice concerning Meditation. 39 



tractions in prayer. Abraham was commanded 
by God to offer in sacrifice different animals. 
He did so ; and, as usual, he awaited with great 
devotion and recollection a miraculous fire from 
heaven to consume them, in proof of their being 
acceptable to God. In this devout attitude Abraham 
remained for several hours. But no miraculous fire 
appeared. On the contrary, several birds of prey, 
attracted by the smell of the carcasses, gathered 
near them, and attempted to seize and eat them. 
But they were promptly driven away by Abraham, 
who faithfully watched the whole day until after 
. sunset, when the vultures entirely disappeared. 
God then richly rewarded the watchful fidelity 
and diligence of His servant by a glorious vision, in 
which He made to him the most splendid promises 
for himself and for all his future posterity. (Gen. 
xv, 9.) Let this instructive conduct of Abraham 
serve as an example and an encouragement to us in 
banishing the vultures of our distracting thoughts 
during our prayer and meditation, and God will 
on His part reward our watchfulness and fidelity 
with His lights, gifts, and graces. 

II. Aridity of spirit is another trial experienced 
by persons who practise mental prayer. This 
aridity consists in a certain mysterious obscurity 
of mind and desolation of spirit, which renders 
our prayer very dry, and deprives the soul of 
every feeling of sensible devotion. In this condi- 
tion many persons imagine and fear that either 
God is displeased with them, and has abandoned 
them ; or at least that their prayers are not accept- 
able to His divine Majesty, and of no advantage to 
their souls. This is a very subtle and dangerous 
temptation of the devil, who strives thereby to 
withdraw us from the salutary practice of mental 
prayer. 

But God, in His infinite wisdom and goodness, 
has very different objects in view in permitting 
our souls to be tried by this spiritual dryness and 



40 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

desolation. He desires to win our soul from that 
sensible sweetness and satisfaction to which we 
have begun to be attached. This is necessary for the 
purification of the soul, in order that she may be 
raised to a higher degree of union with God. ]?or, 
as it is necessary to detach our senses from the 
enjoyment of carnal pleasures, if we wish to begin 
the practice of mental prayer; so, if we wish to 
make progress in it, and deserve to be raised to a 
higher degree of contemplation, the soul must be 
likewise detached from sensible spiritual enjoy- 
ments. She must be trained to the practice of 
good, not because she feels pleasure in it, but 
because it is God's will and pleasure that she 
should acquire true and solid virtue, and that she 
should be perfected in the exercise of mental 
prayer ; passing from those sensible enjoyments 
to the higher and purer atmosphere of spiritual 
intelligence or contemplation. 

We should, moreover, reflect that the prayer of 
our Lord Jesus Christ in the garden of Geth- 
semani was extremely dry, and imbittered with 
disgust, sadness, and mortal languor. Neverthe- 
less, that was the most solidly devout, meritorious, 
and profitable prayer that has ever been uttered 
upon earth. (Scaram. Ascet. Direct, p. i, c. v, 
No. 88.) 

Upon this subject St. Francis de Sales says : How 
great soever your spiritual aridity may be, you 
should not be disturbed, but continue to keep your- 
self devoutly in the presence of God. . . . We should 
have a firm determination never to abandon our 
prayer through any difficulty that we may meet 
with in its exercise. We should be careful not to 
go to our meditation preoccupied by the expecta- 
tion of special lights and consolations, because this 
disposition would prevent our will from being con- 
formed to God's holy will, who desires that we 
should begin our prayer and meditation with a 
strong resolution of enduring the annoyance of 



Advice concerning Meditation. 



4i 



continual distractions, dryness, and disgust, which 
we may have to encounter; and to bear the trial 
with the same calm equanimity as if we had enjoyed 
much peace and consolation. (Devout Life, p. ii, c. ix, 
and Conference 18, No. 17.) 

Moreover, in his sixty-eighth letter, the same saint 
gives the following beautiful instruction : For two 
principal ends a soul should draw near God, and 
place herself in His divine presence. The first is, 
to pay Him the honor and homage due to His 
divine Majesty. Now this may be done, though 
God does not vouchsafe to speak to us, and without 
our being able to speak to Him ; because this duty 
is accomplished by our acknowledging that He is our 
God, our Creator and Lord, and that we are His 
poor and vile creatures, who consider it a great 
privilege to be allowed to remain prostrate in spirit 
before His great Majesty, expecting with humble 
docility the manifestation of His divine will in any- 
thing He pleases to command. This act of homage, 
and protestation of our total submission and absolute 
dependence on God's holy will, is most excellent, 
and of the highest perfection. 

The second object for which we present ourselves 
before God is, to converse with Him, and to listen 
to His divine voice speaking to us through His holy 
inspirations and the interior motions of our soul ; and 
this generally is performed with much interior 
satisfaction and profit. Now, one of these two 
advantages is secured for us in prayer. If we can- 
not speak to God, we will do homage to His divine 
Majesty, like dumb statues that adorn His temple. 
His generosity will reward our faith on some future 
occasion with the sweet abundance of His heavenly 
consolations ; and though He were not to do so, we 
should be satisfied with the privilege granted to us 
of waiting upon Him, as we are bound to do, and 
for the grace of being admitted into His divine 
Presence. Let us go to prayer with these sentiments 
deeply impressed on our hearts, and we may be 



42 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



certain to highly honor and please His divine 
Majesty. 

III. We should hold as an infallible maxim, that, 
in proportion as we honor and please God, so we 
shall displease and irritate His great enemy, the 
devil. Nothing annoys more this wicked spirit, 
than a soul given to mental prayer ; for he knows 
very well how great is the good which results from 
this holy exercise. So long as a soul faithfully 
perseveres in the practice of mental prayer, she 
deprives the devil of the power and opportunity 
of catching her in his snares. Hence we should 
not wonder to find this wicked spirit exerting all 
his malice and cunning at that holy time, in order 
to disturb and annoy the devout soul with impure 
phantoms, with temptations against faith, with 
blasphemous thoughts, with scruples, with feelings 
of diffidence and discouragement, and with a 
thousand other troublesome annoyances. Now, in 
these painful circumstances we are strongly ex- 
horted by Saint Basil not to be discouraged, and 
by no means to abandon our meditation, as if this 
were the cause of our interior trials ; but, on the 
contrary, to fight valiantly against the enemy for 
the sake and honor of God in whose presence the 
soul is, being fully confident that He will be pleased 
with her devotion and fidelity in His divine service ; 
and, being at last moved to compassion towards her, 
He will, with a bright ray of His divine light, dissi- 
pate in a moment this diabolical gloom and tempest, 
and fill the soul with unusual joy and peace. (St. 
Basil, Const. Monast. c. xviii.) 

St. Bridget, of Sweden, found herself one day 
during prayer grievously molested by very trouble- 
some temptations, when the Blessed Virgin Mary 
appeared and spoke to her in the following words : 
" The demon, being full of envy at the good of 
others, is in constant motion to hinder the prayers 
of pious souls. But do thou, my daughter, persist 
constantly in thy good will and desire for prayer, in 



Advice concerning Meditation. 



43 



spite of all the rage and fury of the demons that 
surround thee. Use every effort in thy power to 
persevere in this holy exercise ; because this holy 
desire for prayer, this struggle against thy enemies' 
assaults, thy vigilance and care for praying well, 
shall be the fruit of thy meditation. Though thou 
couldst not succeed in banishing from thy im- 
agination the vile and impure phantoms of the 
demon, yet thou shalt receive in heaven a crown 
of immortal glory as a reward of thy effort made in 
banishing them from thee, and for keeping thyself 
steadfast in the presence of thy God. Thus the 
annoyances caused to thy soul during prayer 
through these diabolical temptations, will redound 
to thy spiritual profit, provided thou givest no 
consent to them, and they cause thee real dis- 
pleasure/' (Blosius, Monit. Spirit., c. iii, No. 4.) 

IV. We should, moreover, reflect that we can 
draw from our good actions true, solid and abundant 
fruit for our soul, without our having a perceptible 
knowledge of it. In fact, the just soul derives three 
advantages from her good and virtuous actions. 
These are, merit, satisfaction, and intercession. 
Merit is a certain right granted by God to the soul 
of the just, as a living member of the mystical body 
of Christ, through which she deserves an increase 
of grace during life, and of glory in eternity. 
Satisfaction consists in the payment or diminution 
of the debt, contracted by our sins with divine 
justice. Intercession is a certain power which divine 
grace communicates to the soul of the just man on 
account of his union with, and love for, God, through 
which he can obtain special lights, favors, and graces 
for himself and for others. After this simple ex- 
planation it will be easy to understand that, during 
our virtuous actions and devout prayers, we may 
acquire all or any of these three advantages with- 
out our being perceptibly aware of them. Merit, as 
we have said, being a right to an increase of grace 
and glory, in the first place, we cannot know how 



44 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



great this increase may be ; secondly, grace is not 
only a spiritual quality which we cannot see, but it 
is a supernatural gift, which our natural faculties 
cannot reach ; and glory, besides being spiritual and 
supernatural, like divine grace, is a gift reserved by 
God for us in the future. Hence we cannot 
naturally possess the knowledge of these sublime 
mysteries, secretly wrought by divine power and 
goodness within the depth of our soul. 

What we say about merit must in proportion be 
understood of satisfaction and intercession. In 
relation to satisfaction, we know not the amount of 
debt that we have contracted against the justice of 
God. Very likely this is much heavier than we 
imagine. Moreover, we know not, and cannot 
know, the satisfactory value accepted by God in 
our good and penitential actions. Finally, in regard 
to intercession, or prayer of petition, by which we 
ask from God His divine assistance and favors, we 
may and do often obtain them without being aware 
of it, either because we are not sensible of them, 
God wishing to keep us humble ; or because we do 
not pay sufficient attention to the inward workings 
of divine grace in our soul. We should think the 
same, when we ask divine favors for other persons. 
Take, for instance, the case, of frequent occurrence, 
in which God does not allow a soul that has made 
a fervent prayer to Him, to be assailed by a dan- 
gerous temptation in which He foresees that she 
would fall into a grievous sin : this should certainly 
be considered a great favor and a precious fruit of 
that prayer. Yet this person cannot naturally be 
aware of the great benefit received from God's 
infinite wisdom and goodness. God is often pleased 
to conceal from us many of His favors, but He will 
fully manifest them to us in heaven, when He will 
open before the delighted eyes of our glorified soul 
the admirable book of our predestination, where 
we shall see at a glance the wonders of His divine 
wisdom and goodness in our behalf during the 



Advice concerning Meditation. 



45 



I whole course of our life. We will then be per- 
| mitted to see and understand the great efficacy of 
I that prayer, and the value of that good, pious action, 
1 of which we often made little account during our 
life upon earth. 

Sometimes, however, God positively grants to the 
I soul of the petitioner the favor requested, but in 
i such secret and imperceptible manner that she is 
not aware of its actual reception. Among these 
concealed favors, we must reckon the protection 
I extended by God to many Christian and religious 
| souls, through which they are preserved during 
I many years from ever falling into any grievous sin : 
| they persevere in a good tenor of life, perform some 
pious actions and good works, and, besides fulfilling 
all the obligatory and serious duties of their state 
of life, have an habitual horror of mortal sin, though 
they occasionally, and even often, commit various 
I faults and venial imperfections. If we understand 
I the weakness of human nature and its inborn 
inclination to evil, we must acknowledge that this 
divine protection of a soul, and her preservation in 
: the state of grace, should be considered a precious 
fruit of prayer. Our prayer may not succeed in 
I, changing entirely our human nature, and in curing it 
of its natural weakness and inclination to evil ; but 
it certainly acts as a strong support, preventing its 
total fall. The prop is not intended to push back a 
bending wall to its original straight position, but 
to prevent its falling to the ground. When this 
\ advantage is secured, we are satisfied. Similar are 
the advantages derived from prayer by many 
Christian souls bent towards evil by strong passions, 
by former evil habits, and by violent temptations. 
Had they neglected prayer, they should have in- 
evitably fallen into many grievous sins, and con- 
tracted vicious habits which would have dragged 
them into eternal ruin. But through their fidelity 
in prayer, and in pious practices of devotion, they 
have obtained from God efficacious strength to 



46 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



resist these evil inclinations, to overcome their 
temptations, and to avoid serious falls. These 
should not be considered small advantages, because 
in our spiritual warfare we actually gain the victory, 
when we bravely refuse to retreat in defeat. 

V. We must, however, remark that many soldiers, 
found brave in time of battle, allow themselves to 
be demoralized by excesses in the flush of victory, 
and in time of abundance and peace. Some souls, 
either in reward for their fidelity in the service of 
God, or to draw them sweetly to His love, are 
allowed by His divine goodness to enjoy an abun- 
dance of sensible consolations. Now, in these 
circumstances, the ordinary danger for these persons 
is that which St. Paul of the Cross, with all masters 
of mystic life, justly calls spiritual gluttony. This 
spiritual gluttony consists in having too eager a 
desire for the enjoyment of sensible spiritual 
delights. This fault of self-love should be avoided 
by every pious soul. In our prayers, in our medi- 
tations, and in our practices of piety and devotion, 
w r e should neither seek these spiritual enjoyments, 
nor rest in them ; but we should strive to ascend to 
God, who is the fountain-head of all good, and the 
immense ocean of all true happiness. The stream 
of fresh water is good, because it flows from 
its source, but the spring is the best. Devout soul ! 
stop not at the stream of divine consolations, but 
advance nobly to the fountain-head. " Seek not 
the consolations of God, but seek rather the God of 
consolations! 99 as St. Francis de Sales used to say. 
Advance to this immense ocean of all good, plunge 
into it, dive deeply into its very bosom. Like a 
sponge, allow yourself to be so pervaded and 
saturated with the divinity, as to lose every particle 
of self-love, every sentiment of self-interest, and 
every desire of self-seeking. On the golden altar 
of God's love, sacrifice to His honor and glory 
every satisfaction of sensible sweetness, casting all 
His favors into the burning censer of your heart, to 



Advice concerning Meditation, 



47 



be consumed by the most pure fire of His divine 
love, and offer to His august Majesty the agreeable 
perfume of this perfect holocaust, in gratitude for 
all His heavenly favors, desiring to remain always 
with so good a God in total privation of all spiritual 
consolations. Our Lord Jesus Christ one day 
spoke in a sensible manner to St. Thomas of 
Aquin whilst he was praying before a crucifix, 
saying to him : " Thomas, thou hast written well of 
me: what reward shall I give thee?" St. Thomas 
immediately answered, " I desire nothing, O Lord ! 
but thee alone/' On another occasion God made 
a similar proposal to St. John of the Cross, asking 
him what reward he would accept for his many 
labors and sufferings. St. John answered : " My 
Lord, I ask to suffer more and to be more despised 
for Thy sake." (From his Life and the Roman 
Breviary.) 

If we desire to draw much spiritual profit from 
prayer, we should make little account of spiritual 
consolations ; because " I have found out by experi- 
ence, " says St. Teresa, " that a soul, who keeps 
herself in a holy indifference to receive, or not to 
receive, them from our Lord, and is sincere in this 
determination, — such a soul is already far advanced 
in the way of virtue and perfection." 

St; Francis de Sales inculcates the same doctrine 
in the following words : " If during prayer tears 
come to your eyes, let them flow ; but if these become 
frequent and are accompanied by too much tender- 
ness of devotion, you should lift up your spirit, if 
you can, sursum corda, to a purer atmosphere, in 
order to enjoy with greater calmness and tranquillity, 
in the superior part of your soul, the mysteries 
which are the subjects of your pious meditation. 
This, however, should be effected in a gentle, quiet 
manner, without using any violence to the spirit, and 
without attempting directly to check the tears or 
sobs ; but acting indirectly, by sweetly turning your 
heart, and elevating it by gentle degrees to the pure 
love of God." (Book ii, Let. 39.) 



4 8 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



In another place this admirable, sweet master ot 
spirituality says : " Consolations in prayer are good, 
but we should not take so much complacency in 
them, as to be prevented from attending with 
diligence to the acquisition of virtue, and to the 
mortification of our passions." (Book ii, Let. 45). 

VI. From what has been stated above, all the fruits 
of meditation consist in exciting the affections of 
our heart, and the motions of our will to the practice 
of virtue. Hence, if these holy affections were pro- 
duced in our soul before we proceed in our 
meditation to the considerations of our understand- 
ing, we should not neglect them ; but, on the 
contrary, we should welcome them as coming 
immediately from God. Such is the advice of St. 
Francis de Sales. " It may occasionally happen to 
you," says the saint, " that during, or soon after, the 
preparation for mental prayer, your affections will 
be moved towards God ; in this case, you should 
give free scope to your spirit, without following the 
method prescribed above. For, though, ordinarily, 
the consideration of the mind precedes the emotions 
of the heart and the resolutions of the will, yet, 
when the spirit of God inspires these affections 
before your own considerations, you should not 
insist upon making reflections, which are only 
intended to produce these holy emotions. When 
we have found the thing we want, we cease seeking 
after it." 

In short, when these holy affections present them- 
selves to our soul, we should promptly receive them, 
whether they come before, or follow after, our 
consideration of the proposed mystery. The spirit 
of God is absolutely free, and i ' breatheth where he 
will" (St. John iii, 8). If I have placed the affec- 
tions after all the considerations, I have done so in 
order to distinguish more clearly the different parts 
of mental prayer. But we should ever remember 
the general rule which is : " Never to stop the 
affections, but always receive them whenever they 



Advice Concerning Meditation. 



come." This must be understood not only of the 
affections and emotions of our heart and will, but 
likewise of our thanksgiving, offering and petitions 
which may be made during our considerations, if 
we feel moved to it. For we should not keep these 
back more than the other affections ; though, at the 
close of our meditation, we should recall them to our 
mind, and repeat them over again, to the end that 
they may remain more deeply impressed upon our 
memory, and we may faithfully remember them at 
the proper occasion. — So far, St. Francis de Sales. 

These are the principal instructions that, accord- 
ing to the teaching of the saints, can be given in 
relation to mental prayer, the gift of which cannot 
be obtained through any natural effort of our spirit, 
but only by our sweet and loving perseverance in 
holy humility. As a more direct introduction to 
the following meditations on the passion of our 
Lord, we translate, from the Latin, the preface to a 
book of the same kind, written by the Rev. Father 
Costero, of the Society of Jesus, and published in 
Antwerp nearly three hundred years ago, namely 
in 1587. We trust that our more thoughtful, pious 
readers will be pleased with the devout and solid 
instructions of the learned Jesuit. The author 
of the previous instructions chiefly quotes from 
authorities. Father Costero supplies the reasons. 
Both being joined together in this work, the book 
will, we hope, become more agreeable to all classes 
of readers. 



3 



CHAPTER VIII. 



IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEDITATING ON 
THE SACRED PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS 
CHRIST WITH GREAT SPIRITUAL PROFIT. 

Man has been created by God as an intervening link 
between the spiritual and the material world. For 
this reason man is composed of body and soul. In 
the body, he has much in common with all material 
beings, and more especially with all animals. But 
on account of the spiritual nature of his soul, man 
ranks among the heavenly spirits. The object 
which God had in view in forming this admirable 
composition of human nature was, that, whilst 
man is enabled through his material senses to pro- 
cure and enjoy external goods, he should, by the 
internal faculties of his soul, rise above the material 
creation, and ascend to the intelligence and worship 
of his divine Creator. Wherefore we must be both 
astonished and grieved in beholding the great blind- 
ness of so many persons totally forgetful of their 
condition, who completely cast themselves upon 
earthly things with such eager avidity, as if they 
were not endowed with an almost divine mind. 
Without taste for the things that are above, they, 
like worms, grovel in the mud, and so strongly 
attach themselves to the earth, that the very beasts 
seem to reproach their stupid ingratitude by that 
natural instinct with which they show that they 
retain some remembrance of benefits received. But 
you, pious Christians, who do not wish to be ranked 
in this low class of material and carnal men, you 
frequently purify your soul in the sacrament of 
penance, refresh your spirit with the communion 



How to Meditate on the Passion, 



5i 



of the sacred body of our Lord, and elevate your 
mind to God on the wings of devout meditation. 
Thus, whilst you are obliged to remain upon the 
earth with your body, you very often lift your- 
selves in spirit up to heaven, converse in mind 
with the saints and angels, contemplate Jesus 
Christ in His glory, and thus strive to unite your 
pious soul with your heavenly Father and God. 
In order to encourage and assist you in your pious 
efforts, I have collected some matter for devout 
meditations, by means of which an opportunity 
will be offered to you for holy thoughts and useful 
reflections. These are meditations on the passion 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Various motives have 
impelled me to propose and recommend these holy 
meditations to your devout attention. 

The first is, because there is nothing so apt to 
move men's minds, and nothing so fully conducive 
to excite holy affections of divine love in the 
human heart, as the serious consideration of the 
divine benefits, and, indeed, of such great benefits as 
those derived from our Saviour's passion. Some 
persons whose conscience is languishing in the 
meshes of sin, are recalled to a better mind, and are 
restrained from relapsing into great vices, by the 
fear of death, the dread of the final judgment, the 
pains of hell, and a miserable eternity. But just 
souls are generally more influenced by love than by 
fear. The remembrance of our Saviour's passion 
inflames their hearts with divine love. My second 
motive is the conviction that nothing so readily 
presents itself to the human mind as the reflection 
on the sufferings, vexations, trials, sorrows, and 
tribulations of this life, by which we are entirely 
surrounded and beset at every time and in every 
direction. Heaven, hell, the last judgment, and 
similar things, which are invisible to us, and which 
are considered as far away by many, are not well 
understood and comprehended. But experience 
makes us acquainted, more frequently than we 



52 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



desire, with bodily sufferings and with anguish of 
mind. 

My third motive is, that I am not aware of any 
prayer or meditation more agreeable to our Lord 
Jesus Christ, than that which we make about the 
bitter passion that He has endured for our sake. 
For, as every victorious general rejoices at the 
commemoration of his victory, so our blessed Lord 
will, with greater reason, be pleased at our frequent 
remembrance of His dolorous passion. The reason 
is, because, through His bloody struggle, He ob- 
tained for Himself and for us the greatest, the 
most lasting, and the most glorious victory. More- 
over, in our frequent meditations on His sufferings, 
our divine Saviour beholds the loving expression 
of our grateful hearts. The fourth reason is, be- 
cause I could not perceive any meditation more 
necessary for mankind than that of our Saviour's 
passion, from which alone we can obtain the re- 
mission of our sins, the justification of our soul, the 
source of all our merit, of every grace, and of our 
eternal salvation. This is evidently the principal 
cause why the Church, through an apostolic institu- 
tion, has ordained in various ways the frequent re- 
membrance among Christians of the sacred passion. 
To this end are directed the repeated signs of the 
cross, which we form with our hands ; the various 
devout pictures and images of our Lord's passion, 
which the unlettered used to have in place of books ; 
the abstinence and occasional fasts observed on 
Fridays ; the frequent commemorations of the 
various holy mysteries of the passion during Lent, 
and more especially in Holy Week ; the devout 
discourses, pious lectures, and ringing of bells 
practised in Catholic countries. Finally, our Lord 
Jesus Christ has instituted the holy sacrifice of the 
Mass as an excellent and most salutary daily 
remembrance and affecting representation of His 
sacred passion, in which He shed His blood and died 
for our redemption and salvation. 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



53 



Lastly, the fifth motive is, that from our medita- 
tion on the passion we can draw more spiritual 
advantages than from the contemplation of any 
other subject. For, as every good has been pro- 
cured to mankind through the merits of our Lord's 
passion, so we can find in it, as in a most richly 
furnished store, an inexhaustible abundance of all 
virtues and graces, which we can very easily draw 
from it for our spiritual welfare. 

To obtain with greater facility all these precious 
advantages, I have thought proper to give here the 
best method of meditating on the sacred passion. 
There are many Christians, who imagine that it is 
sufficient to recollect the history of the passion, or, 
by thinking upon it, to be sensibly affected by a 
certain internal sweetness. But they should know 
that the mere discourse, or the reflection of the 
understanding, even when followed by some sensible 
feeling of devotion, will not avail much for our 
eternal salvation, unless the affections of our heart 
and the resolutions of our will are excited and pro- 
duced. For the understanding is the eye of the 
soul. Now, by our simple look on the well-prepared 
viands of a banquet we cannot nourish our body, 
but, to obtain this advantage, we should place them 
in our mouth, masticate them with our teeth, and 
digest them well within our stomach. In like 
manner, the knowledge of a certain fact or mystery 
intended for meditation is indeed the foundation for 
it, and affords the materials for the exercise of our 
understanding ; but all the fruit of this meditation 
consists in moving the affections of our will, which 
is the principal faculty of the human soul. For it is 
only through the operation of our will that we ac- 
quire merit before God, love Him, and direct all our 
actions to His honor and glory. Voluntate peccatur, 
aut bene agitur. In short, to say much in few words, 
all the best masters of meditation have assigned 
seven affections, which may be produced in our 
heart by the meditation of the sacred passion of 



54 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

our Lord. These are, compassion for His sufferings, 
compunction or sorrow for our sins, desire of imi- 
tation, thanksgiving, admiration, hope, and the love 
of God. These I will briefly explain, in order to 
facilitate the intelligence of the method with which 
*we should proceed in the following meditations. 
The meditations are intended to afford spiritual food 
for the soul, which, however, should be well chewed 
with the seven teeth of the affections mentioned 
above, and thus transmitted to the heart for full 
digestion and the necessary nourishment of the 
soul. 

I. The first, then, is compassion. Compassion is 
an affection of the soul, by which we condole with 
the sufferer, and through sympathy we draw in a 
certain way his sufferings upon us; so that, if we do 
not actually feel them in our body, yet they really 
affect our heart. Through this affectionate com- 
passion the pain of the afflicted friend is some- 
what divided and communicated to us, and thus 
rendered more light and more supportable to him. 
On the contrary, the suffering is rendered more keen 
and hurtful to the patient, if we deride him, and 
are not affected by his misfortunes. 

In order to assuage our sufferings, our Lord Jesus 
Christ manifested great compassion towards us, 
and suffered for our sake. "For" as St. Paul says, 
" we have a high Pontiff who can compassionate our 
infirmities, having had the experience of all our 
sufferings" (Heb. iv, 15.) Through gratitude, there- 
fore, we should reciprocate this loving compassion. 
It is true that the sufferings of our Lord, having 
been endured and finished long ago, cannot now 
be mitigated by our sentiments of compassion. 
Yet these pious and devout sentiments for His past 
sufferings, with which in a certain way we associate 
ourselves with His passion, and apply them to our 
soul, must be very agreeable to His divine heart. 
Hence the apostle justly said : " We are coheirs of 
Christ ; provided zve suffer zvith him, zve shall be 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



55 



glorified with him." (Rom. viii.) For, unless we 
are His willing companions in suffering, we cannot 
expect to be His happy colleagues in the kingdom 
of glory and bliss. 

There are two circumstances which will enhance 
and increase our commiseration and compassion. 
The first is the condition of the person, namely : his 
nobility, his goodness, or the virtue and piety, 
wisdom, etc., of the person, which increase the in- 
dignity of the sufferings inflicted upon him. The 
second is the multitude and severity of his sufferings. 
If we wish to be moved to compassion, we should, in 
the first place, attentively consider who our Lord 
Jesus Christ is that suffers. 1st. In dignity He is 
God, whose majesty fills heaven and earth. 2d. In 
His humanity He is most noble, being from the king- 



tons operation of the Holy Ghost, in the chaste womb 
of an immaculate Virgin Mother.. 3d. In His under- 
standing He is most wise and learned ; in His will He 
is holy and just in the highest degree, for either in 
error or malice He never, in the slightest manner, 
offended God or injured any man. 4th. In His 
conduct Jesus was always most grave and dignified. 
He never was seen laughing, but He was often ob- 
served shedding tears through compassion for men's 
miseries and sins. 5th. In body He was the hand- 
somest and comeliest among the children of men, 
with the most exquisite and delicate complexion. 

Pass, then, to contemplate the magnitude, mul- 
tiplicity, and intensity of His sufferings, and consider 
well each specific torment endured by every mem- 
ber and sense of His body, and the mortal anguish 
which oppressed every faculty of His divine soul. 
1st. Jesus Christ suffered in every possible way. 
No part of His body was exempt from pain ; every 
faculty of His soul was crushed under an accumula- 
tion of grief and sorrow. The prophet Isaias calls 
Him, " The man of sorrows, and acquainted with 
suffering." (Isa. iiii, 3.) 2d. His sufferings were 




conceived, through the miracu- 



56 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



most intense, if we consider the extreme refinement 
and delicacy of His bodily constitution, and His vol- 
untary privation of every internal or external com- 
fort in bearing them. It is the most positive assertion 
of all Christian divines, that no human being ever 
endured in this life such pains and torments as those 
suffered by our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, were we 
to behold a great criminal suffering, though in strict 
justice, grievous torments, we should certainly be 
moved to feelings of compassion, and, as far as pos- 
sible, we would share with him, at least in our heart, 
his bitter anguish. Nay more, we should be moved 
to commiseration were we to witness the intense 
sufferings of a beast. How much more, then, 
should we condole with the great Son of God, 
suffering so many grievous torments, and suffering 
all for our sake and in our behalf! 

II. The second affection is compunction, or sorrow 
for sin. The meditation of our Lord's passion is 
well calculated to excite in us horror and detesta- 
tion for sin. This will become evident if we atten- 
tively consider the malice of sin, and its effects 
on Jesus Christ. The malice of sin is infinite, 
because it offends a God of infinite majesty. Hence 
the evil of sin is so great that, preserving the in- 
violable rights of divine justice, it could not be 
abolished, except through an infinite atonement. 
As an inevitable consequence, it follows that a 
punishment infinite in intensity should have had 
to be endured, which, for a finite creature, is im- 
possible ; or the punishment should have had to be 
infinite in duration, like that endured by the repro- 
bates in hell. Behold here, at a glance, the 
awful malice and the inevitable punishment of sin. 
One possible remedy only remained. This was, 
that a true divine person, infinite in majesty and 
holiness, should undertake to satisfy divine justice. 
From this we may, moreover, learn w T hat brought 
God from heaven upon earth, and induced Him to 
suffer and to die. It was our sins. For, had man 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



57 



committed no sin, the eternal Word would not 
have been obliged to assume human nature to save 
it from eternal reprobation ; or, at least, He should 
not have had to suffer and to die for our salvation. 
Hence, as sin dooms the sinner to hell ; as the thief 
or the murderer is, by human justice, doomed to 
punishment ; so the sins of each of us, individually, 
have imposed upon Jesus Christ the punishment of 
death. Learn, therefore, from this how heartily 
we should detest the malice of our sins, which 
have brought a man-God to the horrible death of 
the cross. 

Do not flatter yourself by imagining that the 
gravity of your sins is diminished by the fact that 
our divine Lord suffered death, not only for your 
own personal sins, but for those also of all mankind. 
For we should be persuaded that this truth does not 
diminish the malice of our sins, but it, on the con- 
trary, highly enhances the admirable efficacy of our 
Saviour's passion, which could atone, not only for 
the sins of one or of few persons, but for the crimes 
of all mankind. In fact, the merit of the passion being 
of an infinite value, it could not be surpassed by 
all human malice. Let this, however, be well under- 
stood as sufficient to demonstrate the enormous 
malice of mortal sin, that it could not be cancelled 
in any other way than through the infinite merits 
of Jesus Christ's sufferings. To render this sublime 
mystery more plain, observe that each individual 
man does not enjoy less the brilliant light of the 
sun because millions of other men enjoy the same 
advantage; and that, if he were alone in this world, 
the sun could not be more useful to him : so the pas- 
sion of our Lord Jesus Christ is no less necessary, or 
less advantageous to me personally, because it has 
been endured for the benefit of all mankind. It is 
self-evident that, if we were alone in this world, we 
could not enjoy the manifold advantages that we 
possess and enjoy as members of the Church of Jesus 
Christ. For further illustration, let us use another 



58 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



supposition : — If a murderer were to cause the 
immediate death of a fellow-man by stabbing him 
through the heart, he should not be considered less 
guilty, were he to induce ten other cruel men to re- 
peat the same deadly blow. Conclude from this, 
that with one mortal sin, for the atonement of which 
the passion and death of our divine Lord was neces- 
sary, we individually have no less been the cause 
of His sufferings and. death, than when we became 
accomplices with all sinners in this awful tragedy. 

III. Let us proceed now to the third fruit of our 
meditation on the sacred passion, which is imitation. 
In meditating on our Saviour's passion, we should 
be inflamed with an ardent desire of imitating His 
example. Hence St. Peter says : " Unto this you 
have been called : because Christ also suffered for us, 
leaving you an example that you should follozv his 
steps." (i Pet. ii, 21.) And again : " Christ therefore 
having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with the 
same thought." (Ibid, iv, i.) 

In the passion of our Lord, two things are pro- 
posed for our imitation. One is, the desire and 
determination of suffering for love of Him who has 
suffered such bitter torments for our sake. The 
other is, the imitation of His manifold virtues. For 
albeit our divine Lord and Master practised all 
virtues during His most holy life, yet during His pas- 
sion they shone forth so brilliantly, that though our 
Lord was silent in words, nevertheless, through his 
example, He from the pulpit of the cross taught us 
all virtues in the most perfect manner. This will 
appear evident if we reflect that, during His most 
bitter sufferings, He voluntarily deprived Himself of 
every drop of inward consolation, whilst He usually 
supports His servants with the sweetness of His in- 
ternal grace in their practice of virtue and in their 
sufferings. Moreover, our Lord had every cause and 
reason for repugnance against, and for refusing to 
suffer, such extreme pains. In every meditation we 
should therefore diligently consider what virtue is 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



59 



principally commended to us, and in what manner 
our Lord is described to have practised it. Then 
we should excite in our heart a sincere desire and a 
firm resolution for its acquisition, and reflect on the 
best mode of attaining it. We should fervently 
implore our Redeemer, through the merit of His 
own virtuous action which we contemplate, to grant 
us the efficacious grace of imitating His example in 
the practice of that special virtue. 

All virtues, as we have said, shine in the passion 
of our Lord, but more especially those which have 
been so often recommended to us in the Holy 
Scripture. These are :— 

ist. Humility, with which He most meekly bore 
every kind of derision : His being clad with a white 
garment, like a fool and mock prophet ; with a red 
cloak and with a crown of thorns, like a mock king ; 
His being postponed to Barabbas the murderer ; 
His being crucified between two highway robbers, 
buffeted, spat upon, and such like indignities. 
Hence He could say : " Learn of me to be meek and 
humble of heart." (St. Matt, xi, 29.) 

2d. Meekness was, indeed, a special virtue of Jesus. 
He ever showed Himself full of meekness, benignity, 
and moderation with every person. He endured 
all His sufferings with unutterable patience. He 
preserved an admirable silence in every affront 
and insult. He never excused Himself ; He never 
offended any person through talkativeness. In short, 
Jesus never said or did anything disagreeable to 
anybody. 

3d. Obedience is justly admired when very hard 
commands are given, and these by wicked and im- 
pious men. Jesus Christ was not only " obedient to 
his heavenly Father unto death, and the death of the 
cross" as St. Paul says (Phil, ii), but He promptly 
obeyed His impious judges and cruel executioners. 
This model of perfect obedience performed whatever 
was commanded Him by these bad men, with admir- 
able simplicity, alacrity of spirit, and constancy of 



6o 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



execution, when stripped of His garments, clad with 
a white or red robe, crowned with thorns, loaded 
with the cross upon His bleeding shoulders, and, 
lastly, stretching His sacred body upon it, and ex- 
tending His hands and feet to be fastened to it with 
nails. 

4th. Charity is practised with perfection when 
we love for God's sake, not only our friends, but 
also we so ardently love our most bitter and mali- 
cious enemies, as to consider them our dear friends. 
All this our Lord and Saviour has done towards 
us in the most perfect manner. For, speaking of 
His great charity towards us poor sinners, He said : 
" No greater charity can a man have than to lay down 
his life for his friends." (John, xv.) If it seems 
a greater charity to sacrifice our life for our 
enemies, it is, however, a most eminent degree of 
divine love not to consider any person as our enemy, 
but to reckon our enemies among our friends, and 
to do as much good to them as to our dearest 
neighbors. Our Lord Jesus so ardently loved His ene- 
mies, that the more He suffered from their malice and 
cruelty, the more His affection for them increased, 
and He heaped upon them new and greater favors ; 
His divine charity resembling a large fire which 
is intensified by the violence of the wind. Hence, 
during all the time of His passion, our Lord con- 
tinued to pray to His eternal Father in behalf of His 
enemies : " Instead of making me a return of love, 
they detracted me : but I gave myself to prayer." (Ps. 
cviii, 4.) If our Saviour did not always pray aloud 
with His voice, He prayed, however, constantly in 
His heart and with His spirit. Finalty, having been 
nailed to the cross, having shed His blood through 
the wounds of His hands and feet, He raised His 
voice and prayed aloud for His executioners, excus- 
ing them before His heavenly Father on the plea of 
their ignorance, and imploring His divine mercy and 
forgiveness in their behalf. This prayer of extraor- 
dinary charity so deeply moved the heart of one 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



61 



of the two thieves crucified with Him, that he was 
instantly converted into a saint. In conclusion, the 
manner of His death. His extended arms, His inclined 
head, the divine sweetness of His dead countenance, 
made such deep impression upon the surrounding 
multitude, that, moved by His immense charity and 
helped by His grace, they were converted to faith 
and repentance. 

5th. The mercy of Jesus, daughter of charity. 
It was in mercy and through mercy that our 
Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed for our sake His honor, 
fame, good name, His youth, strength, health, blood, 
life, and after His death He bequeathed to us His 
meritorious and satisfactory works for our spiritual 
and eternal welfare. 

6th. Contempt of the world, with which He despised 
whatever the world esteems and admires, and on the 
contrary He embraced whatever the world abhors. 
Worldly men covet riches, honors, pleasures, 
the admiration of men ; Jesus, on the contrary, 
chose extreme poverty, contempt, suffering, public 
derision. 

7th. Finally, our Saviour's perseverance was 
most admirable. He was not overcome by the 
extreme anguish of His most loving and beloved 
Mother, by the grief of His friends and disciples, 
by the derision of His enemies. Challenged to 
come down from the cross, when overwhelmed by 
agonizing pains of every description ; enticed to 
work this prodigy by the promise of the high- 
priests, and Jewish magistrates, of the general con- 
version of the Jewish nation, though He, in His 
omnipotent power, could have done so in an instant ; 
yet He preferred to remain and die upon it for our 
salvation, and to give us a memorable example 
of perseverance unto death. 

IV. The fourth effect of our meditation on the 
passion should be grateful thanksgiving. In grati- 
tude for benefits received, we should not only thank 
our benefactor with words, which is the least mark 



62 



The Voice df Jesus Suffering, 



of gratitude ; but lively sentiments of grateful love 
should animate our hearts, and manifest themselves 
by outward actions. In our mind we should 
constantly value and esteem the benefits received, 
carefully avoid giving occasion of offence and 
displeasure to our benefactor, and never omit an 
opportunity of testifying our grateful affection. 

There are five motives which should excite our 
gratitude. The first is the evil or danger from 
which we have been delivered. The second is the 
good which has been bestowed upon us. The third 
is the nobility and dignity of our benefactor. The 
fourth is the kind and affectionate manner in which 
the favor has been conferred upon us. The fifth is 
the condition of the person who received the 
benefit. In order to excite our gratitude towards 
our divine Saviour, let us, therefore, consider: 

ist. The evils from which we have been delivered 
through the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. We 
have been delivered from sin which is the first and 
greatest of all evils; we have been delivered from 
mental blindness, from hardness of heart, from a 
horrible deformity of soul, from the slavery of 
Satan, from an imminent danger of hell-fire, and 
eternal damnation, which is an evil so great that it 
surpasses our comprehension ; so long, that it has no 
end ; so certain, that without Christ's atonement it 
was utterly inevitable. 

2d. Consider, on the other side, the immense 
advantages that have been heaped upon us: jus- 
tice, divine grace, adoption among God's children, 
the seven sacraments, the holy sacrifice of the altar, 
daily offered for us thousands of times, supernatural 
virtues, the promise of eternal life ; in short, every 
possible good of body and soul, internal and 
external. For there is no good in the life of man 
that has not been given or preserved to us 
through the passion of Jesus Christ. 

3d. Consider the dignity and nobility of our 
divine benefactor As it is customary and just to 
reward more abundantly a very learned or noble 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 63 



personage for a comparatively small service, than 
an ordinary laborer for some heavy work; so, 
greater gratitude should be shown to a person in 
high dignity for his favors. What gratitude is, then, 
due from us for so many and so great benefits 
received from Jesus Christ, who is a divine person 
of infinite dignity ! 

4th. To enhance our gratitude, consider the 
manner in which our divine benefactor has bestowed 
His favors upon us. He has lavished them upon us 
gratuitously, out of His good will, in perfect gener- 
osity, and with immense labor and suffering. God 
created heaven and earth without the least trouble, 
with a simple word, a mere act of His almighty 
will. But Jesus Christ, true God and true man, 
redeemed us at the cost of extreme sufferings, 
shedding all His blood, and sacrificing His divine life. 
And then for all this, strictly speaking, He requires 
nothing from us but devout praise and grateful 
thanksgiving. Can we be so mean as to refuse it 
to Him? Yet, how few Christians think of this 
sacred duty ! And how many less strive to accom- 
plish it ! 

5th. Consider, finally, the condition of the person 
benefited. A vile enemy, a mean ingrate — such % 
man. In fact, if, according to the maxim pro- 
claimed by the wise man in the inspired Book of 
Wisdom (xi, 23), " The whole world before God is 
less than a grain of sand, or a drop of the morning 
dew" what is man compared with the infinite 
majesty of God, when he is a mere nothing when 
compared with the whole world? The misery and 
degradation of our condition is w r ell expressed by 
the following words of holy Job : " / have said to 
rottenness, thou art my father ; and to worms, you 
are my mother and my sister." (Job, xvii, 14.) 
Moreover, we are not only very low and vile beings, 
miserable worms of the earth, disgusting rotten- 
ness of the flesh, but, what is infinitely worse, we 
are wretched sinners, enemies of God, opposed to 
Him — we neither sought, asked, nor cared for His 



64 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

mercy and grace ; on the contrary, we proudly 
rejected it when mercifully offered to us by God. 
Do thou, at least, now reflect seriously, O Christian 
soul ! on these five great benefits received from the 
passion of thy merciful Saviour: — 1st. Thou hast 
been snatched from most certain, extreme, and 
eternal torments. 2d. Thou hast been enriched 
with supreme and infinite benefits. 3d. These 
have been bestowed upon thee by a God of infinite 
majesty. 4th. They cost thy divine Redeemer more 
fatigue and suffering than all men have ever endured, 
or could ever possibly endure. 5th. Then conclude 
from all this, whether such a vile creature as thou 
art, should not spend all thy life and energy in 
praising and thanking thy most generous divine 
benefactor. 

V. The fifth effect of our serious meditation on 
the passion will be to conceive a lively hope and a firm 
confidence in the mercy and goodness of God. Our 
hope of salvation is weakened, and made to totter 
by the knowledge of three facts : — 1st. The absolute 
purity, from every stain of sin, required in the soul, 
before her admission to the beatific vision in heaven, 
" into which nothing defiled can ever enter!' (Apoc. 
xxi.) 2d. The strict examination, made by the 
divine Judge at the point of death, who will not 
allow one single idle word to pass with impunity, 
and who will penetrate and reach to the division of 
soul and spirit, and will examine every thought and 
intention of our heart. (Heb. iv, 12.) 3d. Our 
own vileness and proneness to evil, who daily offend 
God with our sins, are filled with evil passions, and 
guilty of manifold imperfections; yet we are so 
blind as not to know our own interior. For, as holy 
Job says: " Although I should be simple, even this 
my soul shall be ignorant of," (job, ix, 21.) 

Now, the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ is an 
effective remedy against these three sources of 
human diffidence, and, consequently, it revives and 
supports our Christian hope. 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



65 



In the first place, if great purity of soul be 
required for our admission into the glory of eternal 
life, yet we should reflect that the sacred passion 
and most holy blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us of 
all our sins, render our soul more bright than the 
sun, make us children of God, give us such a right 
to the kingdom of heaven, that it becomes our own 
inheritance, with an inalienable right to its eternal 
possession and enjoyment. 

Secondly, no doubt, strict will be the judgment of 
Jesus Christ, but the infinite merits of His passion 
can bear and overcome all this severity, because 
His divine atonement is greater than our debt ; our 
sins being finite in number, whilst His merits are infi- 
nite in magnitude. Moreover, our Judge is the same 
identical person with our Advocate, our Mediator 
and Redeemer, who, to purchase heaven for us, has 
given to us the prize of His blood, which He shed 
with so much love and pain, and of which He knows 
well all the worth. 

We are vile creatures, indeed, and incapable of 
doing any good on account of our inborn weakness 
and malice ; but the grace of God, communicated to 
us through the merits of our Saviour's passion, in- 
fuses into our soul an admirable beauty and dignity, 
forgives all our sins, confers strength, and renders 
easy all our good works, to which it imparts such 
worth and value, as to deserve and obtain the reward 
of life everlasting. Our hope, then, is revived and 
strengthened if we meditate on the immense spiritual 
wealth of our Lord's merits, acquired for us through 
His long and frequent fastings, labors, sufferings, 
blood, and death, and then reflect that all these 
treasures have by Him been so entirely bequeathed 
to us, and now actually belong to us, as the goods 
of the husband belong to the wife, or the property 
of dead parents belongs to their children, which 
they can freely and legitimately use to pay their 
debts and to provide for all their wants. 

VI. The sixth effect of our meditation will be the 



66 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



love of God. Love is generated and increased in 
our soul, ist, by the greatness and beauty of the 
object of our love. For this reason the beauty of 
virtue and of science excites our admiration and 
love. 2d. Our affection is excited by the knowl- 
edge of the fact that we have been anticipated in 
love by some worthy person. 

This love, however, is greatly strengthened when 
we become aware, first, that it has been not merely 
expressed in words, but testified by great favors ; 
secondly, that these favors have cost great labors and 
suffering to our loving benefactor ; thirdly, that this 
benefactor, though often offended and repulsed by 
us, yet never allowed His love to cool towards us, 
and never lessened His divine gifts ; and, fourthly, 
that this noble and generous benefactor, for al" His 
love and gifts, never asks, nor expects from us, any 
other return than that of our grateful affection. 

Now, such are the characteristics of our Saviour's 
love. For, ist, He loved us truly and testified His 
love by His actions, by giving to us every good, 
material and spiritual, natural and supernatural, 
temporal and eternal. 2d. To His greatest incon- 
venience and extreme suffering, the eternal Son of 
God became poor in order to make us rich; He 
undertook to bear all evils, in order to replenish us 
with every good. 3d. Often rejected and repulsed 
by us, His love is not chilled nor lessened towards 
us poor ungrateful sinners. 4th. For His per- 
severing affection and manifold favors, He desires 
no other return than that of our love. "My son," 
He says, "give me thy heart." (Pro v. xxiii, 26.) 

In order to love this divine benefactor as we 
ought, we should observe the laws and conditions 
expressed by Jesus Christ in His passion. They 
are the following :— In the first place, we are re- 
quested to think always on His sufferings, imitating 
the example of our Saviour, who wished to bear 
us engraven in His hands, and more deeply still in 
His sacred heart, that He might never forget us. 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



6 7 



" Behold" he says, "behold, I have graven thee in my 
hands" (Isa. xlix, 16.) He has preserved these sacred 
wounds in His glorified body as tokens of His ever- 
lasting love. Secondly, Jesus desires that we should 
often speak of His suffering love, because "from the 
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt, 
xii, 34.) We should be induced to do this by the 
example of our crucified Lover, who from the cross 
spoke in our behalf to His eternal Father, and 
prayed for us at the same time, and continues to be 
our advocate in heaven. Being the eternal Word 
of God, Jesus speaks continually in our favor: 
should we not often speak in His praise and honor ? 

We should, in the third place, dread nothing so 
much as to offend this divine lover, friend, brother, 
spouse, and father, who has suffered so much, and 
done everything to win our affection. * 

In the fourth place, we should all be animated 
by an ardent and active zeal for the promotion of 
the honor and glory of our divine friend and uni- 
versal benefactor; and we should ever be willing 
and ready to make any and every sacrifice to ob- 
tain this glorious end. Christian soul ! is it not 
just and proper, is it not high time for us to think 
of our solemn duty of doing, without delay, some- 
thing for Him who has done everything for us ? 

In the fifth place, we should ardently desire to 
enjoy the presence and blessed company of our 
loving friend. We should know that Jesus Christ 
finds His " delight in being among the children of 
men." (Pro v. viii.) We may judge how ardently 
Jesus desires to dwell among loving Christian souls, 
from the fact that He came from heaven upon earth 
to solicit our love and friendship, and during all 
His life sought us in every direction. After His 
death, ta find friends and companions, His divine 
spirit visited the limbo of the just, and penetrated to 
the fiery dungeon of purgatory. During nineteen 
centuries Jesus has remained with His Church in 



68 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

the eucharistic sacrament, because " He delights to 
be among the children of men." 

Lastly, Jesus desires to be with us during life that 
He may communicate to us His divinity, and thus 
unite us with Him in His everlasting bliss. O ! let 
us exclaim with St. Paul, " / desire to be dissolved 
and to be with Christ" (Phil, i, 23.) 

VII. The seventh fruit of our meditation on the 
passion will be admiration. Admiration is usually 
excited by any new, unusual, and extraordinary 
event. The passion of our Lord is rendered ex- 
ceedingly admirable by the following four consider- 
ations : — 1st. By the person who suffered. This was 
Jesus Christ, true God and true man, whose dignity 
is infinite, whose majesty is immense, whose life is 
eternal, who is the glory and the joy of all the saints 
and angels. 2d. That He suffered for those from 
whom He suffered, namely, for vile men and un- 
grateful enemies ; in short, for the very executioners 
who crucified Him and caused His death. 3d. That 
He suffered more than any mortal man ever suffered. 
This will appear evident if we consider the torments 
inflicted upon Him ; the outrages, the ignominies, 
the derisions, and every kind of evil heaped 
upon Him, or to which He willingly subjected 
Himself for our sake. 4th. All this will become 
more plain if we reflect that, in order to redeem all 
mankind through His passion and death, Jesus 
Christ had to effect this in a most wonderful manner. 
First, to His extreme weakness of body He had to 
unite the highest power, and, consequently, to use a 
supreme effort in order to combat, defeat, and sub- 
due Lucifer, the wicked and terrible prince of this 
world of sin. Second, Jesus Christ had to combine 
together the most rigorous justice and the most 
tender mercy. For, wishing to obtain mercy for all 
men, He had to endure all the severity of divine 
justice. Third, He had to employ in His infinite 
wisdom means which to human prudence appear 
the most unequal, and extremely foolish. For, 



How to Meditate on the Passion. 



6 9 



as St. Paul says, the cross of Christ was a stum- 
bling-block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gen- 
tiles. (1 Cor. i, 23.) 

How great the wisdom of Jesus Christ was in His 
passion, appears, first, from the fact, that He with His 
admirable skill and patience overcame the most 
astute and cunning of perverted intelligences, and 
prostrated Lucifer with those very weapons with 
which that arch-rebel had triumphed over angels 
and men, during more than four thousand years. 
Secondly, our Saviour, in His great wisdom, selected 
humility, suffering and death, which He turned into 
a most effective medicine for the cure of all our 
evils, into the most perfect example of all virtues, 
and into the most ardent flames of divine love. 
What, in fact, can be more available to excite 
Christians to the imitation of Jesus Christ, and to 
the love of God, than the consideration of His most 
bitter passion ? — Let these seven motives, then, be 
considered sufficient for our present purpose. 

In conclusion, we should remark that, in order to 
draw fruit from these meditations, we should be 
faithful in observing the following conditions : — 1st. 
We should not go to meditation without prepara- 
tion ; but, as we are warned by the wise man, " Be- 
fore prayer we should prepare our soul." (Ecclus. 
xviii, 23.) This preparation consists in a resolution 
to avoid sin, to place ourselves in the hands of God, 
banishing from our mind all external cares and 
thoughts, and fervently asking from our Lord the 
grace necessary for drawing fruits of salvation from 
our intended meditation. 2d. We should atten- 
tively peruse in anticipation that portion of the 
history of the passion upon which we intend to 
meditate. 3d. Having closed the book, we should 
reflect upon what we have read, and consider 
what affections we should excite in our soul, and 
thus strive to move our heart. 4th. Having suc- 
ceeded in exciting our affections, we should address 
ourselves in a pious soliloquy to God, praising Him, 



70 The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 

admiring His majesty, wisdom, and goodness, asking 
pardon for our sins, or any other favor, according 
to the inspiration and motion of the Holy Spirit. It 
will also prove very profitable to peruse, first, from 
beginning to end all these meditations, in order the 
better to remember all the history of the passion, 
and, gradually, to proceed from the minor to the 
more important points. 



SECOND PART. 



PREAMBLE. 

JESUS ON THE CROSS EXHORTING ALL CHRISTIANS 
TO MEDITATE FREQUENTLY ON HIS PASSION. 

Voice of Jesus. 

" OH t all ye that pass by the way, attend and see 
if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow." 
(Lam. i, 12.) Come, my child, and listen to my 
words. They are words of life. Listen, then, with 
an affectionate heart to the loving appeal that I 
make to thee from this cross. Remain for some 
time at the foot of this wooden altar, whereon for 
thy sake I am being sacrificed, amidst extreme 
sufferings, a victim of love. Consider attentively 
the painful history of my passion, and see if there 
can be any sorrow and suffering equal to what I 
have to endure for thee. Canst thou deny me this 
token of compassion? Wilt thou, my child, refuse 
to me this small tribute of grateful affection? Am 
I, thy God and Saviour, unworthy of thy attention ? 

Material and insensible creatures have, during my 
passion, given evident signs of sadness and mourn- 
ing. The sun became darkened, the earth shook 
with horror, the hardest rocks were rent, the sepul- 
chres opened, the dead rose up to express to me that 
compassion which living Christians refuse to mani- 
fest to me, their God, Creator, and Redeemer ! 

And thou, thou child of my heart, thou all 
tenderness for what gratifies thy self-love, wilt thou 



72 



Exhortation from the Cross. 



remain towards me more insensible than the sun, 
more unyielding than the earth, harder than rocks, 
and refuse to give a glance to my bleeding wounds, 
and a thought to my suffering and afflicted soul ? 

Be not, my child, so ungrateful to my love as to 
deny this small consolation to my afflicted heart, 
which for thy redemption and salvation was pierced 
with a lance. Thou canst find time for everything 
and for everybody except for me. Thou hast a 
mind capable of long and serious considerations 
about worldly affairs, often disagreeable to me, 
and hurtful to thyself ; but thou refusest to employ 
a thought about what I have done and suffered for 
thy eternal salvation. Thou hast feelings and affec- 
tions for idolizing creatures, even tears for deceitful 
theatrical plays ; but no feeling of compassion 
for my excessive sufferings, no sentiment of grati- 
tude for my passion, no tears of love for my death. 
Ah ! let this be no longer so. Look through 
my open side, the wound is large and deep enough ; 
behold my bleeding heart inflamed with love for 
thee. Thy heart, my child, thy heart alone can 
soothe my grief. Begin, at once, to meditate on 
my sufferings. Show a loving compassion for my 
sorrows. Study attentively, in the depths of my 
wounds, the intensity of my love for thy soul. This 
study will teach thee how to love thy God, how to 
detest sin, how to practise virtue. 

The strongest proof of love which we can give 
to our friends is to sacrifice our life for their sake. 
But my love for thee has been greater than this, 
oecause I died for thee, a sinner, and hence my 
deadly enemy. Yes, my child, I died for thee per- 
sonally. For thee I underwent humiliations, insults, 
cruel torments. The immense benefits of my Re- 
demption are as much for thee alone as if no other 
sinner existed in this world. For, though I suffered 
and died for all men, yet my passion and my atone- 
ment are as entirely for each one in particular, as if no 
body else had any share in them. Study well this great 



Exhortation from the Cross, 



73 



mystery. Dive deeply into this endless, bottomless 
ocean of my passion, which is only equalled by the 
immensity of my love. The better to understand 
this most important and consoling truth, reflect, 
my child, that the light of the material sun is not 
in the least diminished for thine eye, because other 
men can and do enjoy the same advantage. The 
voice of a public speaker, heard by hundreds and 
thousands of persons, is not less audible to each 
individual, although heard by all in common. 
Divine gifts, however, can be understood only 
through my heavenly lights. Consider, then, my 
child, the nature of the eucharistic sacrament. 
In the holy Eucharist, every devout communicant 
receives whole and entire my body and blood, 
my soul and divinity, as if he were alone, though 
hundreds of thousands, nay, though all men, re- 
ceived it at the same moment. The same is the 
nature of my Redemption, of which the eucharistic 
sacrifice and sacrament is a wonderful abridgment. 
My Redemption, like the Eucharist, is for all men 
and for each individual. This was the reason why, 
in my last supper, I stated to my apostles that 
the sacramental blood, which I gave each of them 
to drink, was soon to be shed for each of them, no 
less than for all mankind. These were my words: 
I This is the chalice, the new testament in my blood, 
which shall be shed for you." (Luke, xxii, 20.) 
Consider them well. They will help thee, my 
child, to comprehend more fully the great mystery 
of my Redemption. Hence, with my apostle Paul, 
who had been well instructed by me in all the 
mysteries of faith, repeat frequently with grateful; 
affection : " The Son of God loved me, and delivered 
himself for me" (Gal. ii, 20.) 

O, yes,thy God truly loves each soul, as if she were 
alone in this world ! His love, being immense and 
infinite, cannot be diminished by the multiplicity of 
the objects to which His affection is extended. His 
divine Providence has as much care for one man 

4 



74 



The Voice of J e sits Suffering. 



alone as for all men together, and for all men together 
as for one man alone. Penetrate, my child, pene- 
trate deeply this maxim. Impress well this truth 
upon thy heart, and, during thy meditations on my 
passion, ask thyself these questions : Could my 
Jesus, my Saviour, love me more than He has done ? 
Could He suffer more for me than He has suffered ? 
Could He purchase me at a greater price than that 
of His divine blood and life ? The smallest action 
of my Jesus being the act of a divine person, and 
consequently of an infinite value and merit, was 
more than sufficient for the redemption of a thou- 
sand worlds. Jesus my Saviour could have re- 
deemed me by coming upon earth in a state of 
glory and happiness, when, by the least act of 
virtue, He could have satisfied divine justice for my 
sins, and for those of all mankind: "For, having 
Joy proposed to liim, he underwent the cross, despis- 
ing the shame" (Heb. xii, 2.) Jesus, being deter- 
mined to suffer for me, could have atoned with the 
lightest pain, but He wished that His whole life 
should be imbittered with every kind of suffering 
and humiliation. He could have washed away all 
my sins with one tear, but He shed all His blood. 
He could have died an easy and glorious death, 
but He wished to agonize upon a cross, and expire 
in the most painful and ignominious manner. 
Behold ! how Jesus wished to manifest to me the 
excess of His love through an excess of sufferings. 
O my soul ! has not thy Saviour every right and 
reason to the entire possession of thy heart, which 
He created for Himself alone? Where can I find a 
lover like unto Him ? 

These truths, my child, well considered, and 
deeply penetrated, will inflame thy heart with my 
love. My deep and gaping wounds will eloquently 
speak to thee the language of divine love, and with 
a gentle violence, more sweet than angelic music, 
will charm thy soul, and draw her to love in return 
a God who loved thee more than His life. The 



Exhortation from the Cross. 



75 



serious consideration of my passion will, moreover, 
teach thee how horrible sin is, how great its malice, 
and how abominable and hateful this monster is, 
before the most pure eyes of my heavenly Father. 

This consideration will effectually excite in thy 
heart a deep sorrow and sincere detestation of sin, 
with a firm resolution of flying from it for the 
future. Learn, my child, learn to weigh, on the 
balance of the cross, the enormous load of sin, and 
thou wilt conceive a very different idea of its 
malice. Thou wilt then understand the real cause 
of thy Saviour's crucifixion. Thou wilt then be 
convinced that every new mortal sin crucifies again 
within thy heart the Son of God, as my apostle 
Paul teaches. (Heb. vi, 6.) On thy account, my 
eternal Father refused to forgive me, and to with- 
draw from my lips the bitter chalice of my passion. 
Reflect, however, my child, if my heavenly Father 
dealt so severely with me, because He beheld 
on me the filthy dress of a sinner, which I put on 
in mercy for thee, what must be the severity of His 
divine justice against thee on account of thine own 
sins, unless thou dost speedily repent. For, if in the 
green wood such fierce fire of God's wrath has 
been enkindled, how terribly shall the dry wood be 
made to blaze? Be converted, then, my child, and 
do penance for thy sins. 

My Father desires not the death, but the conver- 
sion, of the sinner. My bleeding wounds plead to 
heaven for mercy ; the silent voice of my blood is 
more powerful with my heavenly Father, than the 
cry of sin for vengeance. 

Let humble and contrite sinners remember that 
I came from heaven, and that, in assuming their 
humanity, I assumed all the load of their sins, and 
that with my sufferings I fully atoned for the rights 
of divine justice. 

Let all sinners look up to my cross, and behold 
fastened to it the decree intended for their eternal 
condemnation, which I have blotted out with my 



76 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



blood, and repealed by my death. I wish to 
keep it nailed to the cross, in order that converted 
sinners, looking at it, may be animated with con- 
fidence of pardon and salvation. 

Let the example of my humble and beloved 
daughter, Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal, be- 
come thy model. She used to say : " Whenever I 
contemplate my Saviour dying for our sake upon 
the cross, I am filled with an unshaken confidence 
that His love will make us live with Him in His 
heavenly glory. If I enter within my soul and 
consider my vileness and unworthiness, I tremble 
with horror, because I deserve hell ; but in casting 
myself at the foot of the cross, and embracing, like 
Magdalen, that wood of salvation, the hope of 
heaven, which Jesus gives me, becomes so lively and 
so strong that it banishes every thought of hell, or at 
least I can very seldom think of it. Among all the 
sins against which God has given me great horror, 
I feel a special hatred against despair, because there 
is in it a deplorable want of faith, hope, and love. 
I bear two maxims deeply impressed in my spirit. 
The first I learned from holy David, w r hich is : 
' Hope in God, and do good/ The second I learned 
from our blessed Father Francis de Sales, who used 
to say : 6 God desires that our misery should be the 
throne of His mercy.' " 

Make use of these pious sentiments, my child, 
to animate thy confidence in my goodness. But 
let obstinate sinners tremble. They should learn 
from my wounds, how terrible will be the punish- 
ment which they shall have to undergo for having 
abused my long forbearance. 

From thy attentive and devout meditation on 
my passion, thou wilt learn to practise all virtues. 
I am the book shown to my beloved disciple 
(Apoc. v, i), " zvritten inside and outside in letters 
of blood" wherein every Christian soul can learn 
all my desires and all her duties. What use will 
it be to thee, my child, to possess the knowledge 
of all human sciences, if the science of the cross is 



Exhortation from the Cross. 



77 



wanting to thee ? This is the science of all sciences. 
It is the most sublime, the most profound, and the 
most useful of all knowledge, because all the 
treasures of divine wisdom are found therein. This 
is not speculative and barren knowledge, but it is 
rich in wholesome food which gives nourishment 
to the soul. It is a heavenly knowledge whereby 
all Christian virtues are learned in the most sublime 
degree of perfection at the sight of my own example. 
It is the only sure science through which the true 
way to heaven can be found, because " I am the 
way, the truth, and the life." I am the only door to 
eternal salvation. He that enters through it shall 
be happy. In fact, it has been at the foot of my 
cross that so many poor, ignorant and simple Chris- 
tians have been replenished with my divine spirit, 
which is a spirit of wisdom ; and without using, or 
being able to use, any other book, they have 
acquired the highest perfection, and to the admira- 
tion of the world they became masters of Christian 
holiness. 

Remember, my child, the advice I gave to my 
humble servant, B. Bernard da Corleone, a Capuchin 
lay-brother, who, being exhorted by some of his 
fellow-religious to learn to read ordinary books, 
came as usual to ask my advice, with all the 
simplicity and confidence of a little child. I 
spoke to him in a sensible manner from an image of 
a crucifix before which he was devoutly kneeling, 
and said to him : " Bernard, thou hast no need of 
reading earthly books. Behold ! I am thy book 
wherein thou may est always read the love which I 
bear thee." 

Again, when my most wise and holy servant, 
Thomas of Aquin, asked his holy friend, my seraphic 
child Bonaventure, whence he acquired his great 
knowledge of heavenly things, this latter pointed 
out to him the crucifix, and said: " Behold, my 
dear Thomas, behold the book from which I learn 
all that I write. Jesus crucified is my Master. He 
has taught me all the little that I know/' 



78 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



So, likewise, another of my holy servants, Philip 
Benizi, being in his last agony, asked the by-standers 
to give him his book. At first he was not understood, 
and they began to inquire what book he wanted. He 
pointed with his emaciated hand to a crucifix, and 
exclaimed with great fervor of spirit, " This is my 
book, this is my book which being put in his hand, 
he immediately pressed it to his lips, and breathed 
forth his holy soul into my sacred wounds. Such, 
my child, is the life, and such is the death of those 
who study well and often this sacred book of eternal 
wisdom. Happy thou shalt be, my child, if, like 
my apostle Paul, thou wilt be able to glory in 
knowing nothing except me, thy Jesus, crucified 
for thy love. Act, therefore, in conformity with my 
ardent desire. Practise often this holy exercise of 
mental prayer. Meditate frequently upon my suf- 
ferings. Through a loving compassion, transform 
my passion into thy soul. Learn from the example 
of my most sweet Mother, whom from the cross I 
constituted not only thy Mother, but also thy guide, 
teacher, and model. On account of her great love 
for me, her sublime intelligence and her exquisite 
sensibility, my most loving Mother .endured the 
most intense sorrow, which, like a two-edged sword, 
penetrated her most tender heart all the days of 
her life." 56 " Take her, my child, as thy model. En- 
treat her to obtain for thee some share of her 
sorrow for me, and that my passion may remain 
deeply impressed in thy heart, as it was in hers. 
Behold, my child, the best means of showing thy 
gratitude to me ; this is the way most surely to 
please me ; this is the high-road to sanctity and to 
eternal glory. 



* The B. V. Mary revealed to St. Bridget that "the passion of her 
divine Son Jesus was, ever after His death, so deeply impressed on her 
heart, that it was constantly before her mind as lively and affecting as 
if it had happened on that day, and that so long as she remained in 
Jerusalem she went, every day after the Ascension, to visit those sacred 
spots in which He suffered." (St. Bridget, B. 6. c. 61.) Thus, our 
sorrowful Lady was the first to make the Via Crucis, or Stations of 
the Cross. 



Exhortation from the Cross. 



79 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 



\ First Point. 

I. From the institution of the most august sacrifice 
of the Mass and of the eucharistic sacrament of the 
altar, we should learn how ardently our most loving 
Redeemer desires and approves that we should often 
meditate on His sacred passion. St. Thomas of Aquin 
says : " jesus Christ left His body for our food, 
and His blood for our drink, as a perpetual memorial 
of the grand benefit of His sacred passion/' (Opusc. 
Ivii, L 4.) In fact, at the moment of that solemn 
institution our Lord said to His apostles : " This do 
you, as often as you shall drink, for the commem- 
oration of me." (1 Cor. xi, 25.) Whenever you will 
offer the sacrifice of the altar, and whenever you 
will receive in communion my body and blood, 
remember what I have suffered for you during my 
passion. — Hence holy Church calls this sacrament, 
a memorial of the passion. The above-mentioned 
holy doctor explains these words by saying, " that 
this holy sacrament is intended to remind us of the 
immense love which Jesus Christ manifested to us 
in His passion." Let, then, all Christian souls, con- 
formably to these just desires of Jesus, apply them- 
selves assiduously to this holy meditation. 

II. This holy motive of pleasing our Lord should 
be a sufficient inducement to every pious soul for 
the practice of this meditation. For what better 
and nobler object can we have in our actions than 
that of pleasing God ? Hence St. John Chrysostom 
says : " When performing an action pleasing to 
God, if you expect any other reward than this, you 
show that you do not understand the precious 
happiness of pleasing His divine Majesty. For, did 
you understand it, you could not conceive the idea 



8o 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



of any higher reward than that of actually pleasing 
God." (St. John Chrys. de Comp. Cord. ad. stell. 
lib. ii.) However, because God's infinite wisdom and 
goodness has been pleased to bestow high rewards 
for our services to Him ; so through this pious medi- 
tation we are allowed to gather most precious fruits 
of virtue and merit. Hence St. Augustine says: 
" There is nothing more salutary than the daily 
meditation on the passion of Jesus Christ/' 

III. It is the common doctrine of Christian divines 
that no soul will ever be lost that nourishes in her 
heart a true and sincere devotion to the passion of 
Jesus Christ, and frequently meditates upon it. The 
holy founder of the Passionists, St. Paul of the Cross, 
was often heard saying: " How is it possible to 
offend a God scourged, a God crowned with thorns, 
a God nailed to the cross for our sake ? Being 
every day of our life penetrated with these great 
maxims and truths of faith, it will be morally 
impossible for Christian souls to commit sin. Ah ! 
no sin is possible where the memory of Jesus' 
sacred passion is become habitual. With these 
sentiments I have succeeded in the perfect conver- 
sion of great criminals and highway-robbers, who 
had been obstinate against every other appeal. 
Having, some years afterwards, had occasion to 
speak to them, I had the unspeakable consolation to 
find that their conversion had been so complete, and 
subsequent conduct of life so perfect, that they had 
not been guilty of a wilful venial sin, because 
these converted sinners had been faithful in their 
daily meditation on the passion, which I had 
exhorted them to practise." 

To induce all Christians to practise daily this 
holy meditation, our holy Mother the Church has 
granted to her children many partial and plenary 
indulgences, as the devout reader can see in a 
special brief of His Holiness, Pope Pius VI, printed 
at the beginning of this book. 

IV. There are three principal motives that should 



Exhortation from the Cross. 



8r 



induce us to meditate frequently on the passion. 
The first is the duty of gratitude. The obligation 
of gratitude is always commensurate to the great- 
ness of the benefit received. Now, Christian reader, 
what benefit can be greater than that granted to us 
through His sacred passion by our Lord Jesus 
Christ at the cost of His divine blood and life, and 
with infinite advantage to our soul? If, in return, 
we were obliged to sacrifice our life amid the most 
severe torments, we should consider this a small 
offering. But our sweet and loving Saviour does 
not require so much from the vast majority of 
Christians. He merely asks that we should not 
forget His sufferings ; that we should for a short 
time daily meditate on His passion. In this, Jesus 
Christ asks the least and last token of gratitude, 
which is the remembrance of the gift and of the 
Benefactor. 

Our second duty is a return of love. Man is natu- 
rally inclined to love those who love him. When 
his love is strong, both his thoughts and affections 
are drawn towards the beloved object. Hence, a 
truly loving soul is, with her affections and attention, 
more where she loves than where she lives. So 
says St. Dionysius the Areopagite. These are his 
words: " Love produces ecstasy. It removes lovers 
from their natural position, to transport them into 
what they love — Extasim facit amor, amatores suo di- 
movet situ, et in ea qnce amant penitus transfert" Now, 
what correspondence, or return of love, do we owe 
to Jesus Christ for the excess of love which He has 
manifested to us in His passion ? 

Our third duty arises from justice. Jesus has 
purchased us with all His blood. Hence we entirely 
belong to Him. St. Paul says : " You are not your 
own. For you are bought with a great price. Glorify 
and bear God in your body." (i Cor. vi, 19, 20.) 
How have you corresponded to these obligations? 
Have you ever seriously thought of them? Begin 
now without delay. 



82 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



Second Point. 

From the three above-mentioned duties of medi- 
tating on the sacred passion of Jesus Christ, we 
shall draw the three following practical fruits : 

I. We shall learn thereby to detest sin. Look at 
the crucifix. Reflect that mortal sin has been the 
real horrible monster that has nailed your Saviour 
God to the cross, and you will conceive in your 
Christian heart a practical hatred against it. 

II. This meditation will teach you the practice 
of virtue. The holy fathers of the Church and 
sacred writers call our crucified Saviour the book 
composed by divine wisdom, and written by His 
love with letters of blood, wherein are found prac- 
tical lessons of all Christian virtues. St. Laurence 
Justinian says: Librum hunc ut ab omnibus legatur, 
publice expo suit — " This book is publicly exposed, 
that it may be read by all." (De Agone Christi, c. xx.) 

III. The third fruit will be a great love for Jesus. 
St. Francis de Sales says : " Mount Calvary is the 
mount of lovers. . . . That love is weak, which is 
not born from the passion of Jesus." This great 
saint desires to teach us, by these remarkable 
words, that the passion of Jesus Christ is the best 
and soundest school of love for noble and generous 
souls. 

Third Point. 

If we sincerely desire to gather all these precious 
advantages, we should, during our meditation, con- 
stantly keep before our mind and heart the great 
truth announced above, that Jesus Christ suffered 
for each of us in particular. Hence we should ac- 
custom ourselves to consider His passion as endured 
by Him for our personal sake. We cannot too 
often reflect on the words of St. Paul, who says : 
" / live hi the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, 



Exhortation from the Cross. 



83 



and delivered himself for me." (Gal. ii, 20.) This 
solemn truth is too much overlooked by the gen- 
erality of Christians, and this is the cause why they 
are so little affected by the remembrance of the 
passion, and why this salutary meditation is ne- 
glected. It is a true practical maxim, that what is 
possessed in common is commonly neglected. We 
naturally feel a more lively interest in what we 
possess as our individual property. The thought, 
that Jesus Christ suffered for all men in general, is 
good ; but it is not calculated to affect us so strongly 
as when we seriously reflect that the passion be- 
longs to us individually. According to the philo- 
sophical principle, to move any particular object, 
it must be directly and immediately touched. This 
is equally and even more true with human souls and 
human hearts. Oh ! the grand affecting thought, 
that the eternal and immortal God became man for 
me, suffered for me, died for me, a miserable worm, 
a wicked sinner ! " He loved me and delivered 
Himself for me." As for myself, I do most heartily 
thank thee, great apostle St. Paul, for having 
taught me the most affecting lesson of love that 
can be found in the Bible. 

Prayer. 

Most amiable Redeemer ! whenever any person 
suffers on my account, my heart is moved : how, 
then, has it been possible for me to have allowed 
years to pass without being in the least affected by 
Thy bitter sufferings and cruel death of the cross 
endured for me by Thee, my loving Lord and 
Saviour? Yet, such has been the case. Oh, 
wretched being that I am ! I should die over- 
whelmed with confusion and sorrow for my 
inhuman hardness of heart and monstrous ingrati- 
tude. I feel ashamed of my past conduct — forgive 
me, sweet Jesus ! For the future I will think every 
day of Thy sufferings, and sincerely desire to shed 



84 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



as many tears as Thou hast, for my sake, shed drops 
of blood from Thy sacred body. But my grief 
shall have no bounds when I reflect that my sins 
have been the immediate cause of Thy bitter agony 
and death. Dear Jesus, crucified for my sins ! grant 
me the grace that I may have Thee constantly 
before my eyes, that I may forever weep for having 
been the cause of Thy sufferings. Jesus, crucified 
for my love ! be Thou for the future the book of all 
my wisdom, that I m ay learn from Thy bleeding 
wounds the excess of Thy love for my soul, and 
Thy desire of possessing all the affections of my 
heart. My crucified love, abridgment of all the 
Gospel, model of all Christian perfection ! make me 
so conformable to Thee, that I may be forever cru- 
cified with Thee ! " Write, O Lord ! Thy wounds 
within my heart, that I may read in them Thy love 
and Thy sorrow. Thy sorrow, in order that I may 
for Thy sake bear every sorrow ; and Thy love, that 
I may for Thee despise every created love." (St. 
Augustine.) 

And thou, most sweet Mother at the foot of the 
cross, in whose most loving heart were united and 
concentrated all the internal and external sufferings 
of thy divine Son ! grant that my tears may be ever 
united with thine in compassionating His sufferings, 
and in bearing deeply impressed on my heart the 
Wounds of Jesus crucified. 

Sane fa Mater! istud agas, 
Crucifixi fige plagas, 
Cordi meo valide. 



Jesus takes Leave of His Mother, 



85 



I. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS CHRIST TAKES LEAVE OF HIS MOTHER TO 
BEGIN HIS PASSION. 

Voice of Jesus. 

My hour being- arrived in which I was to begin my 
passion, and accomplish all that had been revealed 
to my prophets, I presented myself to my beloved 
Mother, to whom I had ever been an obedient son, 
stated to her the object of my visit, and asked her 
maternal permission to begin the great work of man's 
redemption in obedience to the decrees of my eter- 
nal Father. Oh! how painful to my loving heart 
was the thought of that separation ! My inward 
grief was redoubled by my love, and by the inti- 
mate knowledge which I had of the sorrow that 
this sad farewell would cause to the most affectionate 
heart of my virgin Mother. Yet, my child, I will- 
ingly suffered all this for thy sake. 

But the reflection of another separation immensely 
aggravated that interior anguish of my soul. I saw 
innumerable sinners separated from me by sin, and 
those future Christians who would abandon me, 
their Creator and Redeemer, every time they con- 
sented to mortal sin. This produced the most 
poignant grief in my heart. Reflect, my child, on 
the terrible sufferings endured by any man who 
has had his limbs violently wrenched from his body : 
now, all this is as nothing in comparison to what I 
suffer when a soul is violently separated from me 
by mortal sin, or, rather, by my mortal enemy, the 
devil. But if the separation of one soul is so pain- 
ful to my heart, what must have been the anguish 
caused to my soul by the clear, distinct, and certain 
foreknowledge of the temporal and eternal separa- 



86 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



tion from me of countless millions of souls ! There 
is no proportion in the bond that exists between the 
soul and body, and the union that is found between 
me and man ; as there is no possible comparison 
between the attachment of a man to the limbs of 
his body, and the immense love which I, the God 
of essential charity, bear to a soul of my creation. 

Consider, moreover, my child, that in every sin 
and in each sinner there are degrees of malice 
through which one sin is rendered more grievous 
than another ; so this knowledge deeply intensified 
in my soul, both in quantity and quality, the pain 
caused by the rebellion of sinners. Finally, knowing 
too well that a very large number of these unhappy 
souls should be forever separated from me, the 
eternity of this separation caused in my heart an 
incomprehensible anguish and horror, which can be 
measured only by the immensity of my divine love 
for them. 

Oh ! that terrible always ! that awful never | 
always separated ; never-more united ; always with 
demons in hell ; never with me in heaven ! which 
will cause the despairing anguish of the reprobate, 
produced such agony in my soul, that I would 
gladly have endured a new passion in order to save 
a soul, and reunite it to me, her Creator, Father, 
and Redeemer. 

Conclude, my child, from all this how dear every 
soul is to me for which I endured so many sufferings ; 
and to save which, I would gladly have undergone 
a thousand such deaths in order to have her in my 
blessed company for a glorious eternity. Begin 
from this moment to have a more correct idea of 
what I have had to suffer for thy sake. All my 
external humiliations and sufferings were like a drop 
of water in comparison to the internal ocean of 
bitterness which drowned my heart and over- 
whelmed my soul during my passion. " For truly 
I came into the depth of this sea of sorrows, and the 
stonn of sin overwhelmed me." (Ps. lxviii, 3.) 



Practical Reflections. 



87 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 



First Point. 

I. In compassionating the deep sorrow caused to 
the loving hearts of Jesus and Mary at their sepa- 
ration, on the eve of our Saviour's passion, consider 
attentively that you aggravate that grief as often 
as you separate your soul from God by commit- 
ting mortal sin. Let this reflection excite you to 
a speedy repentance, and to a sincere and firm 
resolution never to relapse into sin for the future. 
Keep constantly this terrible maxim before your 
mind, namely, that your next mortal sin may be the 
immediate cause of your final and eternal separation 
from God, because, according to St. Augustine, it 
may be that sin against the Holy Ghost, which will 
never be forgiven in time or eternity. Think seri- 
ously on the nature of this awful separation from 
God. Reflect that it will be the most violent 
separation imaginable for the reprobate. The 
human soul naturally and necessarily tends with all 
her force to the centre of her being, which is God, 
with more vehemence than a heavy stone, falling 
from a high eminence, tends towards the centre of 
the earth. But the hardened sinner will be cast 
away from God with a more violent shock than 
when this stone dashes against a flint rock. This 
separation will be total in soul and body ; it will be 
eternal, without the possibility of any future reunion. 
The terrific shock and pain caused by this separa- 
tion will be felt by the reprobate every instant of 
eternity, because his innate desire and strong 
necessity for this union will be felt continually in 
his whole being, and because the memory of God's 
infinite goodness will be ever present to his mind. 
Hence, the anguish produced by this terrible separa- 



88 The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 

tion will be more intense and harrowing to the 
reprobate, than all the other torments of hell com- 
bined. 

II. For a Christian soul in hell, this anguish will 
be immeasurably intensified by the reflection of her 
Saviour's passion. This unhappy soul in her despair 
will say : " Jesus Christ expired a victim of love 
and pam on the cross, to the end that I might be 
united to Him by faith and love, and through Him 
to be eternally united in heaven with the Supreme 
Good in everlasting bliss ; but I, in spite of so 
much love and suffering, I, miserable wretch, pre- 
ferred to live and die separated from Him and from 
His grace and love, because I was obstinately 
determined to cling to vice and sin. I impiously 
preferred creatures to God, and behold ! now I am 
totally separated from my Redeemer, my God, ray : 
Sovereign Good ; I am plunged into this hell of allij 
misery, without the least possible hope of ever being 
reunited to my God." 

Second Point. 

I. Jesus Christ had announced in His gospel the 
obligation that every man has of renouncing his 
nearest and dearest relations and friends, when 
these are an obstacle to the homage, obedience, and 
service which he owes to God. " He who loves 
father and mother more than me, is unworthy of 
me" (Matt, x, 37.) He now confirms with His 
example the importance of this precept. Our Lord 
takes leave of His Mother in obedience to His 
heavenly Father. Jesus most keenly feels this 
separation. His heart is most tender. He loves 
His Mother with the strongest filial affection. In 
His Mother, Jesus sees the most worthy created 
object of His esteem and affection, which He can 
find upon earth or in heaven. She is the most holy, 
the most amiable, and the most loving of all 
creatures ; hence this separation, which was to bring 



Practical Reflections. 



8 9 



Him to a most cruel and infamous death, becomes 
most painful to His heart, because He knows that 
it will be extremely painful to the heart of His 
Mother. Yet, Jesus makes this most sorrowful 
sacrifice in compliance with His Father's will. 
When only twelve years old, He had for a similar 
motive left His earthly parents, and remained with 
the Jewish doctors in the Temple of Jerusalem 
during three days ; so, now, Jesus leaves His afflicted 
widowed Mother to go and die upon the gibbet of 
the cross for the salvation of mankind. 

II. Pause here, Christian reader. Examine well 
your conduct, and see whether you have always 
been as ready as your divine Master in making 
any painful sacrifice when He demanded it from 
you. When He calls upon you, as He called upon 
Abraham, to make a sacrifice of your love and of 
your passions, painful to human nature, are you 
ready, are you willing, so to do in token of your 
obedience, and love for Him ? Oh ! what a sub- 
ject of confusion for the effeminate Christians of 
our age, who know not how to do violence to their 
passions, or overcome the least difficulty, when the 
honor and love of God are at stake. Do not imitate 
their pernicious example, but follow rather the con- 
duct of your divine Saviour. Resolve here, in His 
presence, generously to cut off from this moment 
every bond of affection or attachment to sin, how 
painful soever the sacrifice may be to human nature. 
You may have to separate yourself from an object 
as dear to you as your eyes, as useful to you as 
your feet, as necessary to you as your hands ; but 
if one of these, or all of them, become an obstacle 
to your union with God and to your eternal 
salvation, remember that we should obey God, 
rather than self-love and self-interest. Remember 
the words of our Saviour : " If thy hand or thy 
foot scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee ; 
and if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it 
from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life with 



go 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



one eye, one hand, or one foot, than, having all three \ to 
be cast into hell- fire." (Matt, xviii, 8, 9. 

Say often with St. Paul : " No creature shall be 
able to separate me from the love of God, which is 
in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. viii, 39.) Lord 
Jesus, never permit me to be separated from Thee ! 

Third Point. 1 

I. Consider how great was the sorrow, resigna- 
tion, fortitude, and charity of the Biessed Virgin 
Mary in this separation from her divine Son. St. 
Bernard applies to this sorrowful Mother what St. 
Paul said about the eternal Father : il He that 
spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up 
for us all, how hath he not also, with him, given us 
all things." (Rom. viii, 32.) Then, filled with 
admiration, he exclaimed: " O ineffable charity of 
God and of the holy Virgin Mary ! who, to redeem 
a poor slave, have given up to death their common 
divine Son." (T. 1, Serm. 61, c. iv.) 

II. Give thanks to this holy Mother, who for your 
sake spared not her Son Jesus, but consented to let 
Him go and immolate Himself upon the cross for 
your salvation. She, moreover, determined to ac- 
company Him to Mount Calvary, and be present 
at His crucifixion and death, in order to share more 
abundantly in His sufferings and in His merits, 
and thus render the august sacrifice more propitious 
to your soul. If you feel unable adequately to 
correspond with the great love of this holy and 
generous Mother, think often at least how much 
she has done and suffered for your sake. Honor 
her frequently with a most lively gratitude. Show 
in practice, by the conduct of your life, that you 
appreciate the great work of your redemption, 
which cost so much suffering to her Son, and so 
much grief to her maternal heart. 



Practical Reflections. 



91 



Prayer. 

Divine and most merciful Jesus! it was Thy 
immense love for my soul that caused the most 
intense pain and sorrow in Thy heart, in contem- 
plating my soul separated from Thee by mortal sin. 
It was well known to Thee that, had I died in the 
state of sin, I should have forever been separated 
from Thy love and from Thy beatific vision, and 
confined in the fiery dungeon of hell, in the company 
of reprobates and demons, where I should have 
hated and cursed with them my most loving God 
and Redeemer. My Jesus ! this thought fills me 
with horror and confusion. I detest all my sins, and 
implore Thy mercy. My Jesus! I have sinned and 
deserve punishment. Punish me in this life, but 
spare me in eternit} 7 . Never permit me to be 
separated from Thee. Bind me so fast to Thy heart 
I in the bonds of charity, that I may never be able 
to depart from Thee. O Thou true and only life of 
my soul ! grant that henceforth I may live in Thee, 
with Thee, and for Thee during life, and thus 
deserve to enjoy, love, praise, and glorify Thee for- 
ever in heaven. 

Most holy Mary, secure refuge of sinners ! by 
that anguish which you, in common with your Son, 
Jesus, experienced at that bitter separation, when, 
for my sake, you consented to let Him go and die 
upon a cross for my salvation, obtain for me the 
grace never to be separated from Him and from 
your maternal love. Mother most dear ! I resolve, 
with your assistance, rather to die a thousand times, 
than to be ever separated from your Son, Jesus. 
Help me to love Him, O sweet mother of divine 
love ! Obtain for me a complete detachment from 
all creatures, in order that I may be more perfectly 
united in love with Him and with you, in time and 
eternity. Amen. 



9 2 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



II. CONSIDERATION. 




JESUS CHRIST WASHES THE FEET OF HIS APOSTLES. 



Having, with my twelve apostles, entered the 
supper-room, where I had determined to celebrate 
my last Jewish Passover, or paschal solemnity, my 
heart was filled with joy at the opportunity offered 
to me for giving to men the best and greatest token 
of my affection. With a countenance inflamed with 
love, I then addressed to them those words of the 
Gospel : " I have ardently desired to eat this pasch with 
you before my death" 

The Jewish legal ceremony being accomplished, 
according to the rites prescribed in the Holy 
Scripture, I resolved to begin the more important 
celebration of the Christian mystery. I rose up 
from table, and, having put aside my cloak, I girded 
myself with a white linen towel, poured water into 
a basin, and kneeling before my apostles, I began 
to wash their feet. 

Being in turn arrived before Judas, I saw him 
determined and ready to hasten on his errand of 
treason. I bowed down, and affectionately took 
hold, one after the other, of his feet, which I found 
eager to run the road of iniquity, sacrilege, and 
perdition. I was anxious to soften, with special 
tokens of my affection, that obstinate heart. With 
internal inspirations, and secret remorse of con- 
science, with tender looks and deep sighs, and with 
every demonstration of loving kindness, I attempted 
to convert him from his wicked design. In the 
sadness of my countenance he could read the inter- 
nal anguish of my heart, caused by his obduracy 



Voice of Jesus. 



Practical Reflections, 



93 



in crime, and by the knowledge which I had of his 
fatal despair, tragical death, and the imminent eter- 
nal perdition of his soul, after all I had done and 
wished to do in order to save it. I lingered upon 
my knees before him in an attitude of affectionate 
supplication ; but Judas turned his face from me, 
and obstinately rejected my love and my grace. 
On that occasion I gave, with my words and actions, 
many great and important lessons of humility, 
patience, charity, and holiness. Hast thou, my 
child, drawn hitherto any advantage from them ? 
Humble thyself for thy past neglect ; and resolve to 
I be more diligent and faithful for the future. 

PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point, 

I. Let us attentively consider what our divine 
Saviour did in the supper-room. Jesus, true God 
and true man, Jesus, infinite Majesty, King of kings, 
and Lord of lords, Jesus, adored in heaven by all 
the angels, prostrates Himself before His disciples 
upon earth, and voluntarily performs the humblest 
action, which the meanest servant dislikes to under- 
take for his lord and master. How great must 
our pride be, if we are not moved and confounded 
at this affecting spectacle of a God so profoundly 
humbled ! St. Peter w T as struck with admiration, 
and exclaimed aloud : " Lord, dost thou wash my 
feet?" (John, xiii, 6.) Lord of heaven and earth, 
dost Thou humble Thyself to such a degree as to 
wash the feet of a vile creature? Let us, like 
Peter, admire and praise our Lord's profound 
humility. But, at the same time, let us resolve to 
imitate His divine example. At least in the internal 
disposition of our soul, we should keep ourselves in 
profound sentiments of true humility. If you are 
in any way superior to some of your fellow-men, 



94 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

and externally raised in dignity above them, give a 
glance to the position assumed by your divine 
Lord and Master, in the act of washing His disciples* 
feet, and reflect on the following words of the wise 
man : " The greater thou art, the more humble thyself 
in all things, and thou shalt find grace before God. . . 
For great is the power of God above, and he is Jwnored 
by the humble." (Eccl. iii, 20.) St. Paul also says: 
" Let nothing be done through strife, nor by vainglory, 
but in humility, let each esteem others better than them- 
selves." (Phil ii, 3.) 

II. Humble yourself especially, when approach- 
ing the sacred table to receive in your heart Jesus 
Christ in His sacrament of humility. Revive your 
faith at that solemn moment, and, with the senti- 
ments of St. Peter's humility, repeat in his w r ords : 
"Lord, dost Thou come to mef y \ Lord of infinite 
majesty, God of infinite perfection ! art Thou to be- 
come the food of a vile worm of the earth? Great 
Son of the eternal God ! wilt Thou give Thy sacred 
body and blood to nourish a low, miserable, 
ungrateful, sinful creature, as I am? O ye angels 
of heaven ! be ye astonished at this. Jesus, your 
God, and my Lord and Redeemer, comes to give 
Himself entirely to me. He comes to enrich me 
with all the treasures of His merits and graces ; He 
comes to communicate to me His divine life, that 
I may live in Him and with Him in time and 
eternity. Grant, O Jesus ! that I may ever approach 
Thy sacred banquet with profound humility, with 
a lively faith, and perfect purity of conscience. 



Second Point. 

I. Consider that Jesus Christ washed the feet of 
His apostles immediately before administering to 
them His sacred body and most holy blood, in order 
to teach us how clean we should be from every stain 
of sin in receiving the holy communion. He knew 



Practical Reflections. 



95 



that, with the exception of Judas, all the rest of the 
apostles were free from great sins ; yet, before giv- 
ing them the holy communion, our Lord washed 
their feet, saying : " He that is clean needs only to 
have his feet washed'' (St. John, xiii, 10.) St. 
Bernard says that this was done to teach all 
Christians, in the person of the apostles, that in 
going to celebrate the holy mysteries, and in re- 
ceiving the holy communion, we should not only be 
entirely free from every mortal sin, but we should, 
moreover, strive to be detached from all earthly 
affections, which defile the soul, as the dust of the 
earth sullies the naked feet. All earthly and carnal 
affections, like mud, disfigure the beauty of the 
soul, and render it disagreeable to her heavenly 
Spouse, and deprive her of all interior sweetness 
of devotion. Before approaching the holy altar, 
then, excite in your heart sincere, humble, and 
lively sentiments of sorrow for every sin and imper- 
fection ; renounce every affection opposed to the 
perfect love of God ; have an ardent desire to be 
most intimately united with your Lord and Saviour ; 
entreat Him, with great humility and confidence, to 
purify your soul with His precious blood from 
everything that is disagreeable to His most pure 
eyes. In the words of holy David, say to Jesus : 
i Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me 
from my sins. Wash my soul, O divine Jesus ! with thy 
blood, and I shall become as white as snow. . . . Renew 
my spirit within me, and create in me a clean heart. 
Lord, I am not zvorthy that thou shouldst enter into 
my breast, but say a word, and I shall be cleansed." 
(Ps.l.) 

II. In this mysterious washing, another lesson 
was intended for every devout communicant. We 
are thereby taught that, in going to the holy table, 
we should not only be free from every wilful sin, 
but also that both in our body and in our dress we 
should appear neat and modest through respect for 
our Lord and Saviour. 



9 6 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Third Point. 

I. Consider the words addressed by our divine 
Saviour to His apostles, after having washed their 
feet : — " You call me Master and Lord, and you say 
well y for so I am. If I, then, being Lord and Master, 
have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one 
another s feet. For I have given you an example, that 
as I have done to you, so you do also!' (John, xiii, 
13.) In these words our divine Master teaches that, 
without humility, it is impossible to practise true 
charity to our neighbors. Those who really stand 
in need of our charity, are the low, the poor, the 
ignorant, the sick, the imperfect, and sinners. How 
can we, without that genuine humility which can 
bear with their wants and importunities, be truly 
charitable to these classes of suffering humanity ? 
Learn, therefore, from the example of Jesus, to be 
humble in charity, and charitable in humility. 
With gentle meekness compassionate the short- 
comings and imperfections of your neighbors. 
Assist them in their wants. Let your Christian 
charity be always superior to their importunities. 
When your material means are exhausted, express 
your regret by an increasing sweetness of compas- 
sionate words. Never allow your temper to be 
carried away by that bitter zeal which is so 
contrary to the spirit of mildness of Jesus Christ, 
and of which He gave you such a bright example 
in washing the feet of the traitor Judas. 

II. If your neighbors are low, poor, ignorant, 
sick, and the services demanded from your charity 
are mean and disagreeable to nature, reflect that 
the eternal Son of God came down from heaven 
upon earth to wash the feet of His creatures, and to 
cleanse your soul with His blood from the horrible 
filth of sin. Remember, also, the great rewards 
which He has promised to you for every act of 



Practical Reflections. 



97 



charity performed for His sake in behalf of the 
least and last of His needy children. Divine Jesus 
considers as done to Himself in person whatever we 
do for His sake in behalf of the poor. " / was 
hungry, and you gave me to eat ; I was thirsty, and 
yon gave me to drink ; I was a stranger, and you took 
me in yonr house ; naked, and you clothed me ; I zvas 
in prison, and you visited me." (Matt, xxv, 35, 
36.) When with the enlightened eyes of faith we 
shall recognize in our needy neighbors the person 
of Jesus Christ, then our charity towards them will 
become full of meekness and humility, and receive 
a rich reward, if not always upon earth, certainly in 
heaven. 



Prayer. 

Divine Redeemer of the world"! Thy profound 
humility astonishes me ; and at the sight of such an 
example I am ashamed of the repugnance which I 
experience in the practice of this virtue.- From the 
brilliant light which shines forth from Thy humble 
actions, I am able to discover in my secret pride 
the cause of the shame and repugnance which I 
feel in my humiliations. Jesus, true Son of the 
most high God ! Jesus, that didst humble Thyself 
so low as to wash with Thy divine and omnipotent 
hands the feet of Thy disciples! permit me to cast 
myself at Thy blessed feet, and, like the humble 
and penitent Magdalene, allow me to wash them 
with my tears, entreating Thee, at the same time, to 
grant me the virtue of holy humility. O, yes, my 
Saviour! through the merits of Thy most holy and 
profound humiliations, remove from me the ac- 
cursed spirit of pride, and infuse into my heart Thy 
holy spirit of true humility. Grant me the grace 
to understand my sinfulness, my wretchedness, my 
nothingness, with courage to acknowledge myself 

5 



98 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

as such in my conduct; and a sincere desire to be 
treated by all men as my unworthiness deserves. 

Had I always known the value and advantage of 
true humility, oh, what progress I could have 
made in the way of virtue and salvation ! How 
many graces could I have obtained from Thy good- 
ness ; and how much more pleasing to Thee my 
soul would have appeared, when approaching the 
sacred table for holy communion! My conscience 
would not reproach me now with so many infidel- 
ities, and would not feel the grief of ever having 
received Thee in Thy sacrament of love and humility 
with a proud spirit and a cold heart. But I resolve, 
with the assistance of that grace which Thou 
wilt not refuse to a contrite and humble soul, to 
change my conduct for the future. Cheerfully will 
I bear every humiliation due to me on account of 
my sins ; 1 shall love contempt as the companion of 
Thy followers. I will seek it for Thy sake. I am 
well aware that Thou lovest the society of humble 
souls, and thus I can hope that, when I receive Thee 
in Thy sacrament, Thou wilt find Thy delight in 
dwelling in my breast, and in teaching me to be like 
Thee, meek and humble of heart. 

Most holy Mary ! if you pleased God with your 
virginal purity, you certainly rendered yourself 
worthy of becoming the mother of His divine Son 
through your profound humility. For St. Bernard 
could say of you that, if you pleased God with your 
virginity, yoit deserved to conceive Hi7n through your 
humility. Obtain for me, from your divine Son, the 
gift of this holy and necessary Christian virtue ! 



Jesus Institutes the Holy Eucharist. 



99 



III. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS INSTITUTES THE SACRIFICE AND SACRAMENT 
OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST. 

Voice of Jesus. 

Whilst men were conspiring against my life ; whilst 
they were gathering armed men to seize my person ; 
whilst they were preparing cords and chains, 
manacles and scourges, thorns and nails, to torment 
my body, and a cross whereon to crucify me, I was 
preparing to give them the greatest token of my 
affection. I knew that one of my apostles was 
determined to betray me, that another would deny 
me, and all would cowardly abandon me ; I knew 
that I was to be persecuted by the Jewish priests, 
derided by the people, falsely accused, and hastily 
condemned to the cruel and infamous death of the 
cross ; yet, my child, in that very night, when men 
were ready to commit the most awful of all crimes, 
and on account of their obstinacy in malice, they 
deserved to be entirely abandoned by me, I insti- 
tuted the sacrament of my body and blood : I gave 
myself to them in food, and remained with them 
forever in the mystery of my love. My love for 
men had arrived to such a degree of intensity, that, 
instead of being damped by their accumulated 
iniquities, it blazed forth so vehemently, that 1 could 
no longer compress it within my heart, and so, in an 
excess of love, I gave myself to them entirely in 
body and blood, soul and divinity : " For having loved 
those who were in the world, I loved them unto the end." 
(John, xiii, I.) During my life upon earth I gave 
man continual proofs of my affection, but I reserved 
the best and the greatest token of love for the end 
of my life. 



100 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



I took bread in my hand and wine in the chalice ; 
I blessed both, and in that instant, through the 
greatest of my miracles, changing their substance into 
that of my body and blood, I presented the consecrated 
element to my apostles, and said to them : " Take ye 
and eat, this is my body." I give it you as food, and 
leave it to you as a victim for future sacrifice. I 
offer this sacrifice in this moment under the appear- 
ance of bread, but in a few hours I will offer it in a 
more painful and bloody manner upon the cross 
for you and for all mankind. . . . Take this chalice 
and drink, " this is my blood." Through this 1 now 
conclude with men a new alliance. I give my blood to 
you at present under the appearance of wine, but in a 
short time, I will shed it entirely upon the cross for 
the welfare of all, " unto the remission of sin." I impose 
upon you the obligation to repeat to the end of time 
what I have done. But whenever you shall offer this 
sacrifice, and shall eat of my body and drink of my 
blood, you will do it in remembrance of my passion 
and ot my death. Do this for a commemoration of me. 

Whilst I was addressing these words to my 
apostles, I clearly foresaw all the future ingratitude 
of men. I foresaw the coldness, the irreverence, 
the insults and contempt, which bad Christians were 
to offer to me in this great sacrament of my love. 
The disbelief of heretics, the blasphemies of infidels, 
the persecutions of pagans, were all present to 
my mind. The lack of faith, the tepidity of devo- 
tion, the corruption of morals, the sacrilegious 
profanations of men, were too well known to me, 
and oppressed my heart with grief. . . . Thou, my 
child, wast also before my eyes. I saw thy sloth 
and negligence in visiting me in the tabernacle of 
my love, thy coldness in prayer, thy want of rever- 
ence in my presence. Thou art very zealous in 
condemning the conduct of Judas, and thou art 
astonished that, with treason in his heart, he could 
dare to receive my body and blood, changing the 
food of life into the poison of death, and the prize of 



Practical Reflections. 



ICI 



redemption into his eternal condemnation. But 
what are thy own dispositions in approaching my 
sacred table? Hast thou ever given me occasion 
to say of thee : Behold ! the traitor is coming, his hand 
is with me in this holy table? . . . Reflect, repent, 
resolve to make a better use of the best gift of my 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 



First Point. 



Dive deeply into the designs of the infinite good- 
ness that Jesus Christ had in instituting this divine 
sacrament. These in relation to man were princi- 
pally three : namely, Jesus desired to live with us, 
to live for us, and to live within us. 

I. Consider then, in the first place, that Jesus 
Christ in the most holy sacrament wishes to live 
with us. St. Peter of Alcantara says : " It is im- 
possible fully to understand the great love that our 
Lord Jesus bears towards every Christian soul. 
This heavenly Spouse, having to depart from this 
earth, instituted the most holy sacrament of His 
body and blood, to prevent the soul from ever for- 
getting Him. He did not, like other lovers, give a 
token of His affection, by offering to her a present 
different from and inferior to Himself ; but, in this 
wonderful mystery of love, Jesus found means to 
remain Himself whole and entire, because He did 
not like that any other intermediary creature should 
be placed between Himself and the soul of His 
predilection/' (From his Life.) 

II. Since then Christian soul, love has induced 
your divine Lord and Saviour to remain with you 
in the sacred tabernacle, testify your love for Him 
by frequent visits. These visits are both the mani- 
festation and the fuel of this affection. That love 
which will draw you before the tabernacle, will 



\Q2 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



also keep you near Jesus as long as your circum- 
stances will permit. True love is unitive. Hours 
of intercourse appear short moments to ardent 
lovers. Study, in your devout visits, to console the 
heart of Jesus afflicted by the general coldness and 
neglect of the majority of ungrateful Christians. 
With your profound homages, with your fervent 
thanksgivings, with your acts of atonement, strive 
to repair the outrages which Jesus daily receives 
in this divine sacrament. 

When kneeling before this august sacrament, 
consider the divine Jesus as the great adorer of the 
eternal Father in spirit and in truth. Unite your- 
self with Him in your acts of adoration and wor- 
ship. This is the best, in fact, it is the only way, 
to render them agreeable to God, and profitable to 
our souls. We cannot go to the Father except 
through His divine Son, Jesus, who is " the way, 
the truth and the life." (John, xiv, 6.) 

III. Jesus being the way, never dare to undertake 
any work of importance without consulting Him. 
In your doubts and perplexities, seek light from 
Him, for Jesus is the truth. In your temptations, 
trials, and dangers, hasten immediately to Him, be- 
cause Jesus is the life. When persecuted and afflict- 
ed, when oppressed by want, when terrified by 
sin, when overwhelmed by fatigue and sorrow, go, 
devout soul, go to Jesus. For He said : " Come to 
me all you that labor and are heavy-laden^ and I will 
refresh you." (Matt, xi, 28.) 



Second Point. 

The second object of Jesus, in remaining in the 
blessed sacrament, was and is even more important 
and sublime than the first. This demands our 
most serious consideration. 

1 Reflect, then, that Jesus remains on our altars 
as a perpetual victim. Consider that during the 



Practical Reflections. 



103 



august sacrifice of the mass, which is offered daily 
a hundred thousand times, at different hours and 
in almost every corner of the earth, the same sacri- 
fice of the cross is repeated in a bloodless manner. 
We should, moreover, observe that our Lord in the 
holy Eucharist is continually in the state of an im- 
molated victim ; for there, according to St Paul's 
expression, " Jesus is annihilated" (Phil, ii, 7.) 
Admire, Christian soul, this grand and most sublime 
mystery of love. Avail yourself daily of this 
ineffable privilege. Assist at mass daily, if possible. 

II. Many Christians would have gladly been pres- 
ent at the bloody sacrifice of the cross on Mount 
Calvary, had the opportunity favored their pious 
wishes. Precious advantages, no doubt, could have 
been obtained by faith and devotion on so solemn 
an occasion. But it is not necessary for any Cath- 
olic to travel so far as Palestine to enjoy the same 
identical privilege. We are taught by faith that 
each altar is a Calvary, whereon Jesus Christ is 
truly and really immolated for our sake, every time 
the sacrifice of the mass is celebrated. These 
are the words of the holy Council of Trent. 
(Sess. 22 ? c. 1.) In fact as on the cross, Jesus Christ 
is really and personally on our altars the high- 
priest and victim, whenever the sacrifice of the 
mass is offered : the substance is the same, though 
the mode is different. Every time the mass is cele- 
brated, the work of our redemption is repeated* 
( Secret prayer for the mass, ninth Sunday after 
Pentecost.) Jesus Christ on our altars offers to His 
eternal Father the same homage of an infinite honor 
as on the cross of Calvary, because, as on the cross, 
He immolates Himself in every mass. This is the 
meaning of St. John's vision in the Apocalypse, 
where he saw the Lamb standing as it zvere slain. 
(Apoc. v, 6.) The position of the Lamb standing 
proves the reality of Jesus' life after His resurrection. 
His condition of slain demonstrates the perpetual 
sacrifice of the mass. As Jesus Christ is "a priest for 



104 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



eve?' according to the order of Melchisedech," (Heb. 
vii, 17), so He is a perpetual victim in the sacra- 
ment of the altar. From the beginning of Chris- 
tianity Jesus Christ has, without intermission, been 
offering Himself in sacrifice to His eternal Father, 
and thereby giving to Him every moment an infinite 
honor truly worthy of His divine Majesty. All this 
is done by Jesus as our representative, and in our 
behalf. How can we reflect upon these sublime 
mysteries of Christianity, without being astonished 
at the goodness of our Saviour, and at the dignity 
of a Christian soul? Devout reader, if God gives 
you light to understand these sublime Catholic 
truths, do not pass them over in a hurry, but 
meditate deeply upon them. 

III. But this is only one of the four great ends for 
which Jesus Christ remains in the sacrament of the 
altar as a victim. His second object is to thank 
His eternal Father continually for all the innumer- 
able benefits bestowed upon us. In this great sac- 
rament and sacrifice, Jesus continues to do what He 
did at the moment of its institution, when "he took 
bread in his hands, and gave thanks to his heavenly 
Father." (Luke, xxii, 19.) The same He did when 
holding the consecrated chalice: "And taking the 
chalice, he gave thanks." (Matt, xxvi, 27; also, Cor. 
xi, 24.) Take notice, devout reader, of these ex- 
pressions. They are intended to teach us that this is 
truly the sacrament of the Eucharist, which means 
the sacrament of thanksgiving. Whilst men live 
in utter forgetfulness of God's continual benefits, 
and with astonishing ingratitude offend their divine 
benefactor with innumerable sins, our good Jesus, 
in the solitude and silence of the sacred tabernacle, 
is continually thanking His eternal Father for us, 
His ungrateful children. Jesus thanks His Father 
for all benefits bestowed upon us, but more especially 
for the greatest of all, that of our redemption, of 
which the sacrament of the altar is an admirable 
abridgment. Learn thence to consider Jesus as our 



Practical Reflections. 



105 



most generous benefactor, our best gift, and at the 
same time, the most worthy divine thank-offerer 
in our behalf. Sweet Jesus ! who will not admire 
Thy goodness? 

IV. Let us proceed, however, and we will discover 
new wonders. In the blessed sacrament and sac- 
rifice of the altar, Jesus offers Himself to th 
offended Majesty of God as a victim of propitiation 
and atonement for our sins, just the same as He did 
on the cross. For, in instituting this admirable 
sacrifice, our Lord said : " This is my blood of the 
new testament, which shall be shed for many unto the 
remission of sins." ( Matt, xxvi, 28.) As if he would 
say : This, my blood, will be shed once in reality on 
the cross, and, mystically, every time that the sacri- 
fice of the mass shall be offered, "for this is my 
blood of the new testament." Hence, this sacrifice 
will continue as long as the new testament shall 
last. The holy Council of Trent has placed the 
seal of faith upon this sublime Christian truth : 
" Through the oblation of this mystic sacrifice of the 
mass, God, being reconciled to the sinner, grants to 
him His grace and the gift of repentance, forgiving 
all sins and crimes how grievous soever they may 
be." (Cone. Trid., Sess. 22, c. 2.) 

Christian sinner! here you have a strong motive 
for hope in the mercy of God: "For this blood of 
the new testament is daily shed every moment for the 
remission of sins." It is this divine victim of the 
altar that prevents the earth from sinking down, 
under the accumulated mountains of human crimes. 
Let, then, all men, let, at least, all pious Catholics, 
let all devout religious, join their voices to the 
thousands of thousands of angels around the throne 
of God in heaven, and sing in a loud concert : 
" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power 
and divinity, and wisdom and strength, and honor, 
and glory, and benediction. Let all creatures in 
heaven, on earth and under the earth, answer, Amen." 
(Apoc, v, 12.) 



106 The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 

V. Fifthly, Jesus remains in the blessed sacrament 
of the altar as an impetratory victim, as our per- 
petual advocate before the throne of God, to obtain 
for us every gift and grace necessary for our eternal 
salvation, not only during our life, but even after our 
death. For, as St. Paul teaches, "Jesus hath an ever- 
lasting priesthood, . . always living to make intercession 
for us" (Heb. vii, 24, 25.) Hence we learn from the 
General Council of Trent, that "the holy sacrifice of 
the mass is offered not only to obtain pardon for sins, 
the remission of the punishment due to them, and an 
ample supply of grace for all other necessities of the 
living, but, also, in behalf of the souls in purgatory." 
(Cone. Trid., Sess. 22, c. 2.) 

The great sacrifice of the mass being so highly be- 
neficial to our soul, let every Catholic avail himself of 
this rich treasure. Reader, resolve in this moment to 
assist at mass every day, if possible ; do so, at least 
as often as circumstances will permit you. Assist- 
ing at the holy sacrifice, imagine yourself present 
at the awful sacrifice of Calvary. Unite yourself in 
spirit and truth to Jesus Christ, the victim and the 
high-priest. Offer it to God, according to the four 
ends for which this mystic sacrifice has been 
instituted by our Lord and Saviour, namely : 1st. 
To honor God's infinite Majesty. 2d. To satisfy 
His divine justice. 3d. In thanksgiving for benefits 
received. 4th. To obtain any and every grace 
necessary for us and for others, both living and dead. 

VI. Finally, in order to obtain more effectively all 
these advantages, it will be extremely useful, in as- 
sisting at the holy sacrifice of the mass, to follow the 
method given by St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio. 
This great saint has divided the mass into four 
parts: — 1st. From the beginning to the Gospel. 
Spend this portion in acts of humility, and unite 
yourself in spirit to Jesus Christ in adoring the 
eternal Father. 2d. From the Gospel to the con- 
secration. Here cast a glance on your sins, ask 
pardon of God for them, unite your supplications 



Practical Reflections. 



107 



to the sacred blood and prayers of Jesus, who is 
your advocate and mediator with His heavenly 
Father. 3d. From the consecration to the holy 
communion of the priest, which is the most impor- 
tant and the most precious portion of the mass. 
During this holy, but short time, make fervent 
offerings to God of the divine victim present on the 
altar, in grateful thanksgiving for all the benefits 
received from Him, and, especially, for the actual 
privilege of being allowed to assist at the holy 
sacrifice. 4th. From the communion to the end 
of mass, make fervent petitions to God, entreat Him 
to grant you any grace you need. Pray with great 
confidence for yourself, for your relations and friends 
living and dead ; pray for the welfare of the Church, 
for the pope, for your bishop, for your pastor. 
Unite your petitions to those of Jesus Christ, with a 
lively confidence that they will be heard and granted. 

Hear as many masses daily as possible ; and be 
sure that, practising this method with fidelity and 
devotion, you will enrich your soul with treasures 
of merits and heavenly graces. 



Third Point, 

I. Consider the third wonder of our Saviour's love. 
He was not satisfied to live with us, and live for us 
in this great sacrament ; but He wishes through it 
to be so intimately united w r ith us, as in a manner 
to identify us with Himself : " I am the living bread 
which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this 
bread, he shall live forever, and the bread that I will 
give is my flesh for the life of the world. For my 
flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth 
in me, and I in kim" (John, vi, 5 1—5 7,) 

Jesus wished to be to all Christians the true 
heavenly manna in the arid desert of this life. " This 
is the bread descending down from heaven." (Ibid., 



io8 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



v. 50.) Jesus wishes to be to our souls the food 
of immortality. He desires that we should feed on 
His substance, and live of His life. "Your life is 
hidden with Christ in God." (Col. iii, 3.) According 
to St. Cyril, in receiving this sacrament we are as 
thoroughly transformed into Jesus Christ, as two 
separately melted portions of wax, which are 
mixed together in the same vessel, cannot be 
distinguished one from the other, but form the 
same body. 

II. Our Lord Jesus Christ is full of affectionate 
kindness in all His actions ; but in this sacrament of 
love, where He annihilates Himself to become our 
food, in order that we may be entirely united with 
Him, Jesus is the very essence of tenderness and 
love. Now, love can only feed on love. Jesus longs 
for our hearts. Jesus eagerly desires to have our 
souls. Let us no longer disappoint Him. Let us 
go often to holy communion, with a keen hunger 
and thirst for this heavenly food of life. At this 
heavenly banquet hungry souls, only, deserve to 
be satiated : " For Jesus herein fills the hungry with 
good things, and the rich he sends away empty " (Luke, 
i, 53.) Such is the warning given to us by His 
blessed Mother. The great pope, St. Gregory, says 
the same : Love alone then should bring us to this 
sacrament of love. Hence St. Francis de Sales 
says: We should only through love receive Jesus 
Christ, who, through love only, gives Himself to us. 
Love should draw us to the holy table, love should 
unite us to Jesus in the holy communion, love 
should keep us with Him after communion. 

III. Let us imitate the example of that seraphic 
lover, St. Teresa, who, after holy communion, ani- 
mated by a lively faith, banished every other thought 
from her mind, and kept herself most closely united 
with her Beloved. Like the humble and loving 
Magdalene, she cast herself at His feet, she clung 
to them with her affections ; she bathed them with 
her tears of devotion ; she held Him fast and would 



Practical Reflections. 109 

not let Him go, until He had blessed her, and filled 
her soul with His heavenly gifts. 

Taught by her happy experience, St. Teresa 
says : " After holy communion, let us be careful not 
to lose a moment of that most precious time. That 
is our grand opportunity, the best in our mortal 
life. For if, when Jesus was in a visible manner upon 
earth, the sick were immediately cured by merely 
touching the hem of His garment ; how much more 
will this loving Saviour heal all the infirmities of our 
soul, and fill it with His divine gifts, when we lov- 
ingly harbor Him within our breast?" 

IV. Remain, then, devout soul, as long as possible 
with your Lord and Saviour, after having received 
Him in holy communion. Adore Him, humble 
yourself before Him, thank Him for His ineffable 
goodness in coming to you, asking graces for your- 
self and for others. He is rich, He is the source 
of every good, He is the treasure and the treasurer 
of the Divinity. He is infinite goodness, He is 
infinite love ; Jesus loves you, for He is with you 
through love. Have confidence then, happy soul ; 
ask, beg, entreat more than ever, sure to obtain from 
Him every grace you need. Ask, especially, an 
increase of His love : " For God is charity, and he that 
abide th in charity, abide th in God, and God in him." 
(John, iv, 16.) 



Prayer. 

My dear Jesus, what more canst Thou do to 
induce me to love Thee? With an excess of love 
Thou hast given Thyself in food to me, in order 
to unite me to Thyself. Divine lover of my soul, 
how generous Thou hast been with me ! But, alas ! 
how badly have I corresponded to Thy liberality ! 
Though it be my supreme happiness to belong to 
Thee ; though every motive obliges me to love and 
serve Thee, because Thou hast created, preserved, 



110 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



redeemed and enriched me with Thy gifts ; yet, 
miserable wretch that I am, my heart has been 
possessed by everything else but Thee, and my 
wicked passions have separated me from Thy love 
and service. But Thine infinite goodness, and 
loving condescension in coming to me this morning 
in the holy communion, have at last triumphed. 
From this happy moment I firmly resolve to bid 
adieu to all creatures for Thy sake, because I am 
determined to belong, for the future, entirely and 
exclusively to Thee, my supreme good, my only 
love. Whereas Thou hast, divine Jesus, been so 
liberal with me as to give Thyself entirely to me 
in body and blood, soul and divinity, with all the 
treasures of Thy merits, gifts, and graces, so I con- 
secrate myself in body and soul forever to Thy love 
and service. Accept my offering, how poor and 
unworthy soever it be. I offer it to Thee through 
the immaculate hands of Thy most holy Virgin 
Mother. O Mary, my most sweet mother, who 
prepared yourself with so much purity and love to 
receive in your immaculate bosom the eternal Son 
of God ! you, who entertained Him, during nine 
months before his birth, with the most ardent affec- 
tion and most profound veneration ! you, most holy 
Virgin, who received Him so often and so worthily 
in the blessed sacrament, after His ascension into 
heaven ! obtain for me, mother most dear, the grace 
to receive your divine Son with proper dispositions 
in this sacrament of love, and to correspond with 
the loving designs which He had in instituting this 
adorable mystery of faith. Amen. 



Jesus Last Sermon to His Apostles. in 



IV. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS DELIVERS TO HIS APOSTLES HIS LAST SERMON, 
AND HIS NEW TESTAMENT OF LOVE. 

Voice of Jesus. 

The sacrilege perpetrated by Judas in receiving 
unworthily the sacrament of my body and blood, 
after having sold me for thirty pieces of silver, 
caused intense grief to my heart. But, because 
the loss of that unhappy soul afflicted me more 
than the loss of my own life, hence, after commun- 
ion, I spoke again to all my apostles in affecting 
words and accents of grief, manifesting to all my 
full knowledge of the intended treason of one of 
them present, in order to convince him that I pos- 
sessed divine wisdom, and, consequently, that I was 
his God and Redeemer. As his Redeemer, I gave 
him special marks of ray affection, to regain his 
confidence, and used every precaution not to 
defame, but to convert the criminal, whilst I showed 
my grief and sad disappointment for the crime. 
But the wretched man, instead of repenting, became 
more obstinate in his impiety. The devil took, 
then, possession of his soul. To show him that I 
was not afraid of death, but that, on the contrary, I 
was not only ready, but eager, to suffer for the 
redemption and salvation of sinners, I turned to 
Judas, and said to him : " Do quickly what thou hast 
deter 7nined to accomplish." Learn, my child, from 
this terrible fact, how true are my warnings to 
sinners : " Destruction is thy own, O Israel, thy help 
is only in me." (Osee, xiii, 9.) I am anxious for the 
conversion and salvation of the sinner ; 1 offer him 
my lights, helps, and graces. I only punish when I 
am forced to it by his obstinacy in malice. 



112 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Judas having departed, I continued to speak to 
the rest of the apostles. I used the most efficacious 
and affecting words to move their well-disposed 
hearts and minds to pay great attention to my last 
exhortation and salutary admonitions; I principally 
inculcated the practice of charity. I said to them : 
" My children, I will be with you only for a short time. 
As the Father loves me, so I love you. Remain stead- 
fast in my love. The best proof of your affection for 
me is the faithful observance of my commandments | 
as I have kept the commands of my Father in token of 
my love for him. My special command to you is, that 
you love one another as I have loved you. From this 
all men shall know that you are my disciples, if you 
have true love, one for another. I have told you these 
things that you may rejoice with me, and your joy may 
be full : these things I have spoken to you, that in me 
you may have peace." (John, xvi.) 

My child, these words are also intended for thee. 
This is my last will of universal charity. Be thou 
faithful in observing it. Thus thou also shalt be 
happy in time and eternity. Make use of the means 
that 1 have provided for thee. Attend to prayer, 
frequent the sacrament of my love, keep thy soul 
united with me, practise self-denial: u Observe my 
law, and thou shalt live." 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory the Great 
justly remark that actions, and not mere words, are 
the real proofs of affection. It is upon this stand- 
ard that we have to measure our Saviour's love for 
us. When the love of God has taken possession of 
a soul, it engenders in her an insatiable desire to 
work much for His honor and glory. The love of 
God is a burning fire. The more it blazes, the 



Practical Reflections. 



greater its activity becomes. A soul inflamed with 
the fire of God's love, is constantly increasing the 
efforts of her holy zeal. Nothing is hard, nothing 
is difficult to a loving soul : "For love feels no labor ; 
or, if labor is felt, the pain is loved." So St. Au- 
gustine says. 

With these reflections humble yourself for your 
past conduct, and resolve to persevere in the love 
and service of God, whatever it may cost you. 

Our Lord says to every Christian : "Put me as a 
seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm. For love 
is strong as death. . . . The lamps thereof are fire and 
flame" (Cant, viii, 6.) The meaning of these words is 
this : Put me as a seal upon your heart, to exclude every 
other lover. Let all your affections be sanctified by 
my love. Put me also upon your arm, that all your 
actions may be performed for my sake, and directed 
to my exclusive glory. If you keep me within your 
heart, and upon your arm, my love will warm 
you as a fire, and your virtuous actions 'will shine as 
a flame. I will give you strength to overcome all 
the torments of death : For love is stronger than death. 
Love your God, then, Christian soul, and make 
frequent acts of love of complacency, rejoicing in 
your heart at the infinite perfections of God. Love 
Him with affection of benevolence, sincerely desiring 
that all men may love, worship, and serve Him. 
Love God with a love of preference, reckoning as 
nothing, and worse than nothing, every thing that 
is not God and for God. Make frequent acts of 
sorrow and contrition for having offended His 
supreme Majesty and infinite goodness. Repeat 
frequently these holy aspirations towards that 
divine Lover of eternal beauty, who is always with 
you, loving you and showering blessings upon you, 
and continually whispering in the secret of your soul 
these endearing words : "My child, give me thy 
hearth 



U4 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Second Point. 

In His discourse, Jesus Christ inculcated two 
things in a particular manner, namely : First, the 
observance of His divine law ; secondly, fraternal 
charity. He expects the first from us as a practical 
proof of our love for Him. "If you love me, keep my 
commandments." He demands the second as an evi- 
dence to men of our fellowship with Him. "By 
this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if 
you have love, one for another." Resolve, then, to keep 
with fidelity His divine law. Examine yourself, and 
see what special command of God you are more in 
danger of violating. Arm yourself with strong reso- 
lutions, and ask His assistance against temptation. 
Because charity towards your neighbor is so dear 
to the heart of Jesus, practise this charity, and you 
will please Him, and edify your fellow-men. But 
see that your love for your neighbor is not a mere 
natural inclination, engendered by flesh and blood, 
by relationship, by human friendship, by interest, 
by self-gratification, by ambition. Love your 
neighbor because God commands it. Love your 
neighbor, to please God. Be careful upon this deli- 
cate subject, because many Christians commit 
serious mistakes. Remember what our Lord said 
to St. Teresa : "All is vanity, that is not done to 
please me." 



Third Point. 

Reflect that we cannot know whether we love, 
until our love has been put to the test. This will 
soon be presented in our love for our neighbor. Our 
neighbor may be poor, needy, ignorant, disagree- 
able in look or manners. Here is the test. If you 
love him in God and for God, his wants and defects 
will rather prove an incentive, than a damp to your 



Practical Reflections. 



affection. Reflect that God loves the poor and the 
indigent, and Jesus wishes that "the poor should 
always be with us" as the children of His predilec- 
tion. Love them for His dear sake. The poor and 
indigent may be numerous, and their demands may 
be frequent and importunate. But this, alas ! is an 
evident sign of the general lack of Christian charity. 
If charity were more universal and active, poverty 
and want would become more rare. If, in his dis- 
tress, the rejected Lazarus comes to knock at the 
door of your Christian heart, charitable Christian ! 
have compassion on him. Remember that the 
Bethlehemites, by repelling from their houses Mary 
and Joseph, rejected Jesus and deprived themselves 
of His presence, and of His heavenly gifts. The same 
Jesus has promised to consider as done to Himself, 
whatever is done to His poor. For this reason, He 
has left the care of the poor, the ignorant, and the 
sick, to His Church, that is, to each of His faithful 
followers. He loved them in His life, He died for 
their salvation. Imitate His example, and " men will 
know that you are his disciples!' 



Prayer. 

Most amiable and loving Jesus, I will address to 
Thee the prayer which at the close of Thy admirable 
sermon to Thy apostles, Thou didst offer for 
them and for me to Thy eternal Father. Dearest 
Saviour ! glorify Thyself in me, by uniting me with 
Thee and with all just souls in such identity of 
love, that we may all, through grace and charity, be 
as intimately united with Thee, as Thou art united 
by nature to Thy eternal Father. Never permit me 
to be separated from Thee, O Jesus, furnace of 
divine charity ! Divine Jesus ! associate me in Thy 
love for my neighbor, that I may ever live in peace 
and concord with all men. Make me meek and 
humble in charity, that I may bear on every occasion 



Ii6 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

with the faults, defects, and importunities of my 
neighbor, and may cheerfully relieve him in his 
wants. I shall in this way, by wearing the livery of 
charity, be recognized as the adopted child of God, 
and as Thy true disciple. Thus I shall reap a large 
share in the precious fruits of Thy prayer, and in 
the merits of Thy passion. 

Most holy Mary, mother of fair love ! there is 
nothing, either in heaven or upon earth, which I 
desire to love and possess, besides my God, my 
only true and supreme good. I most humbly entreat 
you, then, to obtain for me the precious gift of His 
love. Help me, most holy Mother ! to love God 
above all things with a most pure, ardent, active, 
strong, and constant love, and for His sake to love 
my neighbor as myself. May love be my life, and 
charity my death, that love and charity may form 
my eternal happiness. 



Jesus at the Garden of Olives. 



117 



V. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS GOES TO THE GARDEN OF OLIVES. 

Voice of Jesus. 

After having given to my apostles my last in- 
structions, after having warned them that I, their 
shepherd, was on the point of being struck, and 
that they, my flock, would be dispersed, I consoled 
them with the promise that, after a short time, I 
would return to them. I then addressed a fervent 
prayer to my eternal Father in their behalf, and 
for all those who would consent to listen to their 
preaching, and believe in their words. At last, the 
time for beginning my passion having arrived, I 
rose from table, left the supper-room, went out of 
the city of Jerusalem, and, according to my well- 
known practice, proceeded, in the company of my 
eleven apostles, to Mount Olive. We crossed over 
the brook Cedron, and having arrived within the 
Garden of Gethsemani, I directed eight of my 
apostles to remain in prayer at a favorable place 
near its entrance, whilst I selected, a more secluded 
spot for the same object. I took with me Peter, 
James, and John, who had been the witnesses of my 
glory on Mount Thabor, that they might also witness 
my agony in the Garden of Gethsemani. Wishing to 
be in every thing, sin excepted, like other men, in 
order to merit for them courage and strength to 
overcome temptations, I suspended and confined to 
the superior part of my spirit the joy communicated 
to my soul through her union with the Divinity. As 
soon as this was done, a most painful sadness oppress- 
ed my soul. I began to be grieved ; I became terrified 
at the immediate prospect of the manifold sufferings 
and cruel death which 1 was to undergo. It was 



1 1 8 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

then that I said to my apostles : " My soul is sorrow- 
ful even unto death. Stay you here, and watch with 
me" (Mark, xvi, 34.) As I became before the jus- 
tice of my offended Father the responsible surety, 
or bail, for sinful man, and undertook to satisfy for all 
sins, 1 wished to experience all the anguish and 
misery caused by them. Hence I abandoned my soul 
to interior trials ; I made her feel the oppressive 
weight of tedium, the shock of fear, the crushing 
oppression of sadness and weariness. I was, my 
child, so overcome with grief, that " I fell flat on the 
ground." (Mark, xvi, 35.) In this painful and humble 
position, I entreated my heavenly Father to remove 
from my lips the bitter chalice of my passion, and 
to keep away from me the hour of my death upon 
a cross. But at the same time, with a mighty effort, 
I resigned myself to His holy will, and asked Him 
that not mine as man, but His divine will should be 
accomplished in me. 

In this way, my child, I wished by my example to 
teach thee and all men how to prepare for trials and 
sufferings; how to overcome dangers and tempta- 
tion. Had Peter and the rest of the apostles per- 
severed in prayer, instead of yielding to weariness 
and sleep, they would not have abandoned me, and 
Peter would not have denied me. Peter and some 
of his companions could watch and work all the 
night long, fishing in their boats for a small temporal 
advantage, but failed to watch in prayer with me. 
Hence they fell. The same has been thy fate, my 
child. To gratify thy evil inclinations and passions, 
thou art ever ready to watch and labor, not only 
without pain, but with eagerness and pleasure. But 
when it is time to watch and pray with me, then the 
exercises of piety and devotion become irksome to 
thee. Thou givest way to sloth and weariness. 
Prayer is neglected, and thy spiritual ruin begins. 
Remember what I said to my apostles : " Watch and 
pray, lest you fall into temptation." 



Practical Reflections. 



119 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider that Jesus Christ withdraws from the 
distracting tumult of the City of Jerusalem to the 
calm solitude of Gethsemani, in order to teach us 
that, if we wish to pray well and converse with God, 
we should occasionally retire from the turmoils of 
the world, and from the distracting cares of mate- 
rial occupations. Prayer is absolutely necessary for 
our salvation. But, without recollection of mind, 
prayer is impossible. Recollection of mind in the 
din of worldly society and business is impracticable. 
Therefore the necessity of solitude for prayer, as 
prayer is necessary for salvation : " Pray lest you fall 
into temptation." Reflect that our divine Saviour 
begins the great work of our redemption in a garden; 
as Adam in a garden occasioned our spiritual fall. 
Jesus' agony and grief are an evidence of the reality 
of His assumed human nature. His former miracles 
demonstrated His divinity, for they were wrought to 
prove it. Now His sufferings, fears and anguish, vol- 
untarily endured by Him, are intended to convince 
us that He is truly a human being. Christian faith 
requires that we should believe Jesus Christ to be 
true God and true man. 

II. St. Ambrose says: " There are men who 
seem to be scandalized in hearing that the Son of 
God, made man for us, became sad, was oppressed by 
fear, wept, grieved and complained, and, in their 
false zeal, study to explain away and exclude these 
affections from Him. But I shall not imitate their 
example, for, the more I proclaim these facts, the 
nearer I am to the truth. Had God judged proper 
to exercise His omnipotent power to deliver me from 
these afflictions and from the fear of death, I should 
consider this a great benefit ; but I believe it to be a 



120 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



greater proof of His compassion, mercy' and love for 
me, to have assumed and endured in His person 
these infirmities, in order to deliver me from them. 
This fact discovers to me, indeed, how good God is, 
how great is His charity, and how immense His 
compassion for sinful man. O the infinite benig- 
nity of my God ! most tender bowels of Jesus' love ! 
astonishing effusion of His supreme goodness ! He 
condescends to complain for me, who had nothing to 
complain for Himself. He was supremely happy in 
His hypostatic union ; yet He deprives His soul of 
every consolation and the glory of the divinity, to 
assume the sadness and fears of my humanity. He 
became sorrowful to fill me with His joy; He de- 
scends to the earth and walks in the road of death, to 
recall us after Him to the way of life. When Jesus 
proclaims the cross, shall I be ashamed to announce 
His sorrow ? When I behold Jesus crucified and dy- 
ing between two malefactors, shall I be afraid to teach 
that He was afflicted for our sake ? This shall never 
be. Shall we acknowledge what is more impor- 
tant, and fear to confess what is of minor conse- 
quence ?" (St. Ambrose, in cap. xxii, 44, Luc.) 

III. St. Augustine also writes : " We learn from the 
Gospel that our Lord was made sorrowful. We 
must believe this truth. If any person pretends to 
say that this sorrow was not real, but merely appar- 
ent, we should have also to say that, when the Evan- 
gelists state that our Lord ate and slept, He did 
nothing of the kind. Thus we shall have nothing cer- 
tain and sound in the Bible. We should have, more- 
over, to disbelieve the reality of His incarnation, 
and say that the Son of God did not become really 
man, and assumed not our flesh ; but that He was 
man only in appearance. All these are impious 
and heretical blasphemies. We must then believe 
as true and real facts, what is written of Him in the 
New Testament. We must therefore admit that 
Jesus Christ was afflicted, and truly suffered sad- 
ness ; but this sadness was voluntary, as voluntary 



Practical Reflections. 



121 



was His incarnation. " (St. Augustine's Comments 
on the Psalm xciii.) 

IV. At the light of these doctrines revive your 
faith, Christian soul, and learn how great and bitter 
were the internal sufferings endured by Jesus Christ. 
Animate your hope and confidence in Him, because 
through His sufferings Jesus has enriched us with 
the immense treasures of His merits, and acquired 
for us the right to every grace that we may want 
and desire. Admire the immense charity of your 
Saviour, who assumed all our. miseries to bestow 
upon us all His virtues, and inflame our hearts with 
His divine love. Strive on every occasion to cor- 
respond with the designs of His infinite goodness. 



Second Point. 

I. Consider that Jesus Christ, during His affliction 
and sadness in the Garden of Gethsemani, betakes 

; Himself to prayer, and redoubles His fervor in 
proportion as His anguish of mind and the suffer- 
ings of His body increase. " Being in an agony, He 
prayed the longer." (Luke, xxii, 43.) Jesus prepares 
Himself w^ith prayer for the painful sacrifice of the 
cross, not because He has need of prayer, for He is 
the God of omnipotence ; but in order to teach us 
by His example how necessary prayer is, and also 
to merit for us the grace of praying well. Let us 
learn from this the obligation we have to pray at all 
times, but, more especially, when we are in trouble 
and affliction, that we may obtain from God grace 
and strength to bear our sufferings and trials with 
resignation and profit, 

On these occasions it is a fatal mistake, and it will 
prove a vain attempt and sad disappointment, to 
seek comfort from creatures, and consolation from 
men. God alone is the true consoler of souls in 

; affliction. St. James asks: 11 Is any of you sad? Let 
him pray." (James, v, 13.^ It will sometimes happen 

6 



122 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



that your soul is so sad and afflicted, that prayer 
may appear useless to you ; but yield not to this 
dangerous illusion of the enemy. In imitation of 
Jesus, persevere in prayer, keep yourself with faith 
in the presence of God, implore with humility His 
divine grace and assistance, and have the most im- 
plicit confidence that you will be infallibly heard. 

II. Remember that the angel of consolation was 
sent to Jesus in His agony to comfort Him : this also 
was done for your instruction. The more deeply 
plunged in affliction the soul is, the nearer she is to 
God, if she knows how to find Him in prayer. The 
Holy Ghost says: "Because lie hoped in me, I willl 
deliver him. I will protect him, because he hath known 
my name. He shall cry to me, and I will hear him. I 
am with him in tribulation : I will deliver him, and 
he will glorify me (Psalm xc, 15.) Reflect deeply, 
afflicted soul, upon these divine words, " / am with 
him in tribulation." They mean that God is with you 
in your tribulation more closely than at any other 
time. These words have a deeper signification. They 
signify that God is in tribulation with you ; that He 
sympathizes with you in your sufferings ; that He suf- 
fers with you through the love and compassion that 
He has for you. He considers you a victim of repara- 
tion. He looks at you as a suffering member of His 
Son's body, suffering for Jesus' sake, suffering in com- 
pany with Jesus. If, when your trials began, you were 
not in these truly Christian dispositions, strive to 
enter into them now that God inspires you to peruse 
these lines. Unite yourself with your suffering and 
agonizing Saviour in the Garden of Olives, and the 
oil of consolation with the balm of heavenly comfort 
will be poured down upon your afflicted heart by 
God's holy angel. 

III. To succeed more effectively in this desirable 
object, learn from the example of your afflicted Sav- 
iour how to pray to His eternal Father. Jesus' prayer 
had the following five conditions: — 1st : Our blessed 
Saviour prayed with the most profound humility, 



Practical Reflections, 



123 



prostrated with His face to the ground in deep adora- 
tion of God's infinite majesty. 2d : He prayed with 
intense attention and deep recollection. For this 
reason, He prayed in perfect solitude, separated from 
all His disciples. 3d : He prayed with entire con- 
fidence, saying : " My Father ! I know that all things 
are possible to Thee." (Mark, xiv, 36.) Ah ! great 
confidence is expressed in this tender word, Abba, 
"Father!" 4th: Jesus persevered in prayer for a 
long time. He repeated thrice the same request. 
5thly : Jesus finally was perfectly resigned to the most 
holy will of His Father. He asked, indeed, that the 
bitter chalice might be removed from Him, but He 
promptly added : " Nevertheless, not my will, but thine 
be done." (Luke, xxii, 42.) 

Here is your perfect model of prayer, Christian 
soul ! Imitate Jesus, unite yourself with Him in your 
prayer; the more you feel your misery and your 
unworthiness, the more strongly cling to Jesus. 
Through His merits you will soon experience the 
consoling effects of God's mercy, and will obtain 
every comfort and assistance in all your wants. 



Third Point. 

I. From the example of Jesus we learn, in the third 
place, that it is lawful for us humbly to ask God to 
deliver us from temporal evils. We are also taught 
that it is not sinful to feel in the sensible portion of 
our humanity the sting of pain, dislike to suffering, 
and repugnance to death, provided that in the supe- 
rior part of our soul, or in the depth of our heart, 
we are resigned to the will of God. Our Lord Jesus 
Christ was well aware of the eternal and immutable 
decree of the Godhead, in force of which He had to 
suffer and to die for the redemption of fallen man. 
Notwithstanding, He asked three different times to be 
delivered from so many sufferings, and from the 
cruel death of the cross. Jesus offered this prayer, 



124 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



not only to convince us of the extent and intensity 
of His sufferings ; but, also, to instruct us by His ex- 
ample that we are allowed to ask God, as He did, to 
be delivered from temporal evils. Our Saviour had. 
voluntarily accepted all the sufferings of His passion 
and death. He had, moreover, on different occasions, 
manifested great eagerness and joy for the oppor- 
turiity of atoning for our sins, satisfying divine jus- 
tice, and securing our eternal salvation. All this, 
however, did not prevent Him in His agony in the 
Garden of Gethsemani from addressing this prayer 
to His eternal Father : " Father, if possible remove this 
chalice from me, but not my will, but thine be done." 

II. In our meditation on this deep mystery of our 
Lord's passion, we should never lose sight of the two 
motives which prompted this prayer, namely : the 
reality of His human nature, and, qonsequently, His 
tender compassion for the weakness of our common 
humanity. "For we have not a high-priest, who can- 
not have compassion on our infirmities ; but one tempted 
in all things like as we are." (Heb. iv, 15.) 

O, how truly the wisdom, power, and goodness 
of God are manifested in the passion of Jesus, our 
Lord ! Let us admire and adore the humiliations of 
this man-God, who subjected Himself to all the mis- 
eries of our weak humanity, in order to merit for us 
the strength and grace to bear and sanctify them in 
a Christian manner. Be not discouraged, Christian 
soul, if you experience a strong repugnance to the 
humiliations and sufferings of this miserable life of 
exile, and, more particularly, if you dread the ap- 
proach of death. Reflect that Jesus Himself was 
subject to them. Learn, however, from His example 
to be entirely resigned, in the depth of your will, 
to the decrees of divine Providence, and repeat fre- 
quently with your suffering Saviour : " Not my will, O 
Father, but thine be done." By so doing, your prayers 
and sufferings will be most agreable to His divine 
Majesty, and your soul will soon be enriched with a 
large treasure of merits for heaven. 



Practical Reflections. 



125 



III. St. Bernard used to say : " I acknowledge my 
pusillanimity, I dislike sufferings, and trials are dis- 
agreeable to me. I beg and entreat God to remove, 
if possible, this little chalice from my lips. I am 
not, however, disturbed in mind at this my weakness, 
nor am I afraid of displeasing God, provided I feel 
courage and resolution to say within my heart/ Lord, 
. not my will, but thine be done! " — This is the most 
painful and difficult holocaust; because herein our 
own will is sacrificed. This was the real sacrifice, 
which God required from Abraham. God did not 
desire the death of his son Isaac, but the holocaust 
of his own will ; because the sacrifice of man's will 
is the most pleasing and honorable homage which 
he can offer to God, when he desires to worship 
Him in spirit and in truth. 



Fourth Point. 

Because the practice of perfect resignation to the 
will of God is as necessary and difficult for man, as 
it is agreeable and glorious for God, we shall proceed 
to a fourth consideration. 

I. The most perfect accomplishment of His Father's 
will was the first and principal object of the eternal 
Son of God in assuming human flesh. Coming into 
the world, Jesus said : "Sacrifice and oblatio?i thou, 
O Father ! zvouldst not ; but a body thou hast fitted to 
me. Holocausts for sin did not please thee, then I said : 
Behold, I come to do thy will, O God" (Heb. x, 7.) 
During His whole life upon earth our divine Saviour 
kept constantly in view, in all His actions, the ac- 
complishment of His heavenly Father's will. This 
was the meaning of the words, which, when only 
twelve years old, Jesus addressed to His holy Mother 
in the Temple of Jerusalem, in the presence of the 
learned doctors of the law, and which these men 
were unable to understand : " Did you not knozv that I 
must be about the things that are my Father s ? " (Luke, 



126 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



ii, 49.) According to His admirable expression, the 
will of His Father was the element and food of 
Jesus' life : " My food is to do the will of him that 
sent me, that I may perfect his work." (John, iv, 
34.) He publicly protested that He would and 
could do nothing except His Fathers will. "I can 
do nothing of myself . . . because I seek not my own 
zvill, but the will of him that sent me." (John, v, 30.) 
As the will of God was the food of Jesus' life, so He 
wished that it should be the chalice and drink of His 
passion, and the last act of His death. Hence, in 
His mortal agony in the Garden of Olives, His 
prayer was : " Father, not my will, but thine be done." 
Finally, we learn that " Jesus was obedient even unto 
death, and the death of the cross." (Phil, ii, 8.) What 
admirable lessons have we here! How important 
it is to do in every thing the will of God ! All the 
value and merit of our actions absolutely depends 
upon this habitual disposition. God's holy will is 
the source and the measure of our sanctity. The 
good angels are in heaven, because they were sub- 
missive to God's will ; the wicked angels are in hell, 
because they rebelled against it. Such is the case 
with all men. Man becomes a sinner, because he 
refuses to obey God. He becomes just, when he 
conforms to the will of God. The elect are eternally 
happy by doing the will of God ; the reprobates are 
eternally damned for opposing it. Hence our 
divine Master says in the Gospel: "Not every one 
that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father, 
who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of 
heaven." (Matt, vii, 21 ; see, also, Rom. ii, 13 ; James, 
i, 22.) Are not all these considerations strong 
enough to make us firmly resolve to seek in every 
thing, and always, the accomplishment of God's 
adorable will ? O may all Christians say daily with 
a sincere mind and fervent heart: " Thy will be 
done on earth as it is in heaven ! " For, God's eternal 
glory, and the angels' and saints' everlasting hap- 



Practical Reflections. 



127 



piness, consist in heaven in the perfect and per- 
petual accomplishment of God's most holy will. 

The same is in proportion upon earth. The highest 
honor and sweetest happiness for a pious Christian 
upon earth is, to be engaged in performing the will 
of God. For it is necessary for all the elect of God 
to begin in life what shall have to be accomplished 
in eternity. There is not, and there cannot be, for 
man any higher honor and greater happiness than 
that of imitating not only the angels and saints, but 
Jesus Christ Himself, who, both upon earth and in 
heaven, does nothing more than accomplish the will 
of God. And, indeed, what is God Himself during all 
eternity doing, but executing the eternal decrees of 
His own divine will ? Gods will be done on earth then, 
as it is in heaven. 

How anxious is our holy mother, the Church, to 
see her children constantly employed in this heav- 
enly exercise, may be seen from the partial and 
plenary indulgences granted to those w T ho devoutly 
repeat the following short prayer : " May the most 
holy, most just, and most amiable will of God be done, 
praised, and exalted in every thing, for ever and 
ever." By a rescript dated May 2, 1800, Pope Pius 
VII granted one hundred days' indulgence for every 
time this prayer is recited. Moreover, for those who 
recite it daily during a month, he grants a plenary 
indulgence on any day selected for this purpose by 
each individual, by going to confession, receiving the 
holy communion, and praying, as usual, for the 
exaltation of the Church. These indulgences are * 
applicable to the souls in purgatory. Finally, the 
Holy Father grants a plenary indulgence at the point 
of death to all those devout Christians who have 
daily recited this prayer during their life, 



128 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Prayer. 

Jesus, master and model of prayer, how different 
am I from Thee ! Thou perseverest in prayer, when 
oppressed by sorrow and sadness, and surrounded 
by a mortal anguish, and by deadly enemies. I, on 
the contrary, neglect prayer altogether. The least 
inconvenience is a sufficient pretext to me to abandon 
immediately this holy exercise. I do the same with 
every other act of devotion, and every sacred duty 
of religion. I can spend hours and days, months 
and years, in serious application and painful labors 
for a perishable material gain ; but one single hour 
in Thy Church, assisting at the holy sacrifice of the 
mass, appears insupportable to my spiritual sloth. 
I can with pleasure squander hours of time, in 
listening to idle and frivolous talk, to sensuous 
music, to lascivious theatrical representations ; but I 
shun, with premeditated malice, every occasion to 
hear a sermon, and, if obliged by rare circumstances 
to listen to Thy sacred minister, I count every 
minute, and severely censure his conduct if he 
attempt to speak to me for half an hour about Thy 
goodness and love, and my eternal salvation. I can, 
with the deepest attention, peruse with eager satis- 
faction, during many hours, day and night, irreligious 
works, and silly novels of immoral tendencies; but 
I cannot resolve to take up and read for ten minutes 
any pious book. 1 spend many hours on week-days 
and Sundays in examining my ledger, and in deep 
calculations on my business account-books ; but I 
hate to examine, for a few minutes, the more essential 
and more intricate accounts of my guilty conscience. 
My good Jesus ! I have too much reason to fear that 
I am too weak in faith, and dead to Thy love. My 
habitual coldness in devotion, and my internal repug- 
nance to every duty of my holy religion make 
me suspect' that I am not only lukewarm, like Thy 



Practical Reflections. 129 

drowsy apostles in the garden, but that I am actu- 
ally in the high road of reprobation and perdition, 
like the traitor Judas. Too long have I been blinded 
by my sins, and deceived by my vicious passions. 
But Thy mercy, sweet Jesus, is come to my rescue. 
The veil is removed from my eyes, and Thy light is 
shining upon my soul. I perceive my fatal mistake, 
and deplore it with a sorrowful heart. I loved the 
earth more than heaven, I esteemed riches more than 
the treasures of Thy grace. I preferred the amuse- 
ments and pleasures of the flesh to the interior sweet 
peace and happiness of Thy love. But, infinite thanks 
to Thy compassionate mercy and goodness ! all this is 
now changed. I hate what I liked, and love what I 
hated. I love Thee, my sweet Jesus ! and cherish 
whatever can unite me more closely to Thy love. I 
love prayer, I like meditation, -spiritual reading, and 
the consoling and strengthening practices of my holy 
religion. I cherish the sweet yoke of Thy law, and 
the light burden of Thy Gospel. I am determined 
henceforth to imitate Thy example in watchfulness 
and prayer, and in Thy perfect resignation in suffer- 
ing to the adorable will of Thy heavenly Father. 
With all the sincerity and fervor of my heart I say: 
" Thy will be done on earth, in every thing and forever, 
as it is in heaven" 

Most holy Mary, Mother of mercy and of grace ! 
obtain for me the gift of perseverance in these my 
present resolutions, that, in perfect conformity to the 
holy w r ill of God, being always united with your 
divine Son, Jesus, in prayer and love during life, 
I may deserve to praise and thank Him with you 
during a happy eternity. Amen. 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



VI. CONSIDERATION. 



AGONY AND SWEAT OF BLOOD OF JESUS IN THE 
GARDEN OF GETHSEMANI. 

Voice of Jesus. 

Although the grief, that I experienced at the clear 
and distinct prospect of all the dreadful sufferings of 
my imminent passion and death of the cross, was 
very painful to my soul ; yet I suffered incomparably 
more under the overwhelming burden of all the sins 
and crimes of men, which I had voluntarily assumed, 
in order adequately to satisfy for them the justice 
of my eternal Father. The malice of sin, my child, 
makes little impression upon the generality of men. 
Man is born in sin, and from his cradle becomes 
familiarized with this monster. The more he ad- 
vances in age, the more he sinks in sensuality, which 
augments the darkness and confusion of his carnal 
mind. Having no practical knowledge of the beauty 
and goodness of God, man commits sin with very 
little remorse of conscience, and lives in sin with 
scarcely any dread of its terrible consequences, tem- 
poral and eternal. But my soul was full of divine 
light, grace, and truth. No shadow of sin could 
ever approach it. My heart loved God infinitely 
more than did all the angels and seraphim of heaven. 
I dreaded more one single sin, than all the torments 
of hell. Consider then, my child, what horror the 
close presence of all the iniquities of mankind must 
have caused in my soul ! 

During my long meditation in the Garden of 
Gethsemani, I passed in close review every period 
of the entire history of the world, from the creation 
of man to the end of time. I strictly examined 
every minute of the life and conduct of each indi- 



Jesus Agony in the Garden. 



victual sinner. I carefully weighed in the balance of 
divine justice every aggravating circumstance of sin. 
I saw that the malice of one mortal sin alone was 
sufficient to reduce my soul to death agony. Imag- 
ine then, my child, if possible, what my soul must 
have suffered, when oppressed under the huge moun- 
tain of ail the accumulated sins of the world. " For 
the Lord, my Father, laid on me all your iniquities." 
(Isa. liii, 6.) 

The better to understand how much I must have 
suffered, represent to thy imagination my servant 
David seized by his rebellious son, Absalom, and 
bound by him with chains to a stake. Then suppose 
him to give strict orders to every officer and private 
soldier of his army to form in single line, and passing 
slowly before him, one after the other should transfix 
his body with their swords or lances without his 
being able to die, until a hundred thousand men had 
inflicted upon him as many mortal wounds. In this 
case my holy servant should have had to endure 
one hundred thousand martyrdoms, and every mar- 
tyrdom would have been aggravated by the cruel 
ingratitude of a rebellious son. This, however, is 
only an imperfect figure and a shadow of what I 
really suffered in my terrible agony in the Garden of 
Gethsemani. Not one hundred thousand, but count- 
less millions of mortal sins passed in gloomy review 
before my soul in that awful hour, and each inflicted 
a deadly blow through my bleeding heart. What 
wonder if real blood was forced through every pore 
of my agonizing body ? 

This was painful enough. But a more dreadful 
horror awaited my soul. In spite of my infinite 
hatred against every sin, I had, for man's sake, my 
child, to assume, not the guilt, but all the filth 
of innumerable sins and crimes, and, as the scape- 
goat of mankind, I had to appear before my heavenly 
Father, loaded and defiled with the sins of the whole 
world : " For I, who knew no sin, was made sin for 
you." (2 Cor. v, 21.) 



132 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

In this degrading condition of universal sinner, I 
had to bitterly repent of every sin, as if I had person- 
ally been guilty of all of them in particular. My 
sorrow was proportionate to the knowledge I had 
of the malice of each sin, and to the knowledge of and 
love I had for the infinite majesty and goodness of 
my Father. My grief for sin was also commensurate 
to my affection for the soul of each sinner, who 
should have been eternally lost, unless I fully satis- 
fied divine justice for him. Hence, my internal grief 
had no bounds. I detested every sin in particular 
with an infinite sorrow. For 1 had to atone for each 
sin in the strictest sense of the most rigorous justice, 
and my internal contrition had to be the principal 
portion of this necessary atonement. Reflect atten- 
tively, here, my child, how much, in my love for thee, 
I had to suffer for thy sins ! Each of thy sins deeply 
aggravated my sufferings. For it is an undoubted 
fact that I had to suffer for each and every sin 
committed by every man ; consequently, each sin 
increased the agony of my soul. Dive deeply into 
this mystery of my passion. Reflect that, as the in- 
tensity of my love for sinful man sent my blood back 
four thousand years to wash away and atone for all 
the sins of past ages ; so I sent it forward in behalf 
of all future generations to the end of time. Hence, 
as all future generations were redeemed in virtue 
of my passion, so in the Garden of Gethsemani all 
future sins, clearly and distinctly foreseen by me, 
immensely aggravated my agony in that painful 
hour. Among these future sinners I looked upon 
thee, my child, and beheld all thy sins. I had to 
grieve, suffer, and atone for them, as well as for 
those of all other past and future sinners. 

This accumulated sorrow reached to such a degree 
of intensity in my agony in the garden, that it was 
more than sufficient to cause my real death. But 
my divinity preserved my human life, in order that 
my soul should drink the bitter chalice of my pas- 
sion to the last dreg, which I had to swallow upon 



Jesus Agony in the Garden. 



133 



the cross. It would have been a great comfort to 
my afflicted soul, if, in the infallible mirror of my 
divinity, she could have foreseen that so many suffer- 
ings and the cruel death of the cross would, as il 
should, have entirely destroyed the dominion of sin 
and of Satan upon earth; and upon its black ruins 
have happily established the kingdom of faith, grace, 
and love. O how gladly would I have shed all 
my blood, and sacrificed my life, to see the empire 
of my heavenly Father fully and firmly established 
from one extremity of the earth to the other in the 
mind and hearts of all men, who everywhere should 
adore and worship Him in spirit and truth ! But, 
alas ! the prospect appeared very gloomy and sad. 
I clearly foresaw that the majority of men would 
obstinately refuse to accept the grand work of my 
redemption, or maliciously abuse it to their own 
deeper eternal damnation ! 

I said within myself : I am agonizing in a bitter 
sea of sorrow ; I am going to die overwhelmed with 
pain ; I am going to shed all my blood for the salva- 
tion of men; and yet, the majority of them, through 
their own culpable negligence and malice, will be 
forever lost. How many millions of these ungrate- 
ful men will abuse and trample under foot my divine 
blood, by which they have been redeemed ! How many 
sinners will boldly bear up in triumph sin and vice, 
which at the cost of my life I wish to destroy ! How 
many impious tyrants will persecute my Church, 
afflict my spouse, oppress my most loving servants, 
and condemn them to a cruel death for their love 
and fidelity to me ! O my child ! what anguish and 
bitter grief this foreknowledge produced in my 
heart! 

This was my most terrible conflict. My human 
nature was terrified at the imminent prospect of so 
many sufferings. My soul was filled with horror 
at the cruel malice and impious ingratitude of men. 
I experienced a violent repugnance to endure so many 
and such extensive sufferings, and die an innocent 



134 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



victim upon an infamous cross for such ungrateful 
wretches. It was under these sentiments and feel- 
ings that I said to my heavenly Father: "Abba, 
Father, if it be possible, remove this chalice from me" 
But the certain knowledge that many, many souls 
were to be sav^d, and that the glory of my eternal 
Father should be highly increased, during all eter- 
nity, through my passion and death, I immediately 
made a violent effort, and in perfect resignation 
added, u Not my will, but thine be done" This effort 
cost me very dear. It cast my soul into an agony. 
I redoubled the fervor of my prayer to overcome 
the weakness of the flesh, and her natural horror 
for death. My compassionate heart desired the 
salvation of men ! My soul wished at any cost the 
accomplishment of my Father's will. This conflict 
between fear and love, between the flesh and the 
spirit, became so fierce and violent within me, that it 
forced such abundant sweat of blood from every pore 
of my agonizing body, as to imbrue my garments, 
and "trickle down in large drops upon the ground" 
(Luke, xxii, 43.) Three different times in succession 
this terrible struggle was renewed with increasing 
fury. Three different times the dreaded chalice, 
with all its mortal horrors, was presented to my 
trembling and agonizing lips. Each time the repug- 
nance of my flesh was renewed. I repeated my 
petition for its removal. But every successive time 
my soul was more and more resigned to the ador- 
able will of my Father, and the last effort was a 
complete victory. I drained the chalice to the last 
dreg, for I discovered in it a human soul; but I sank 
exhausted upon the ground through the violence 
of the effort. 

No created mind shall ever be able fully to com- 
prehend the excessive anguish which oppressed my 
soul in the Garden of Gethsemani. I received no 
comfort from anybody. My apostles were near me, 
but asleep ; Judas was fast approaching to betray 
me ; an angel was sent to me, not to console me 



Jesus Agony in the Garden. 135 

in my afflictions, but to strengthen the weakness ot 
my humanity, that it might be able to endure 
greater pain. The Divinity, instead of alleviating 
my sufferings, increased their number and intensity 
by supernatural lights to my soul. This was done 
in order that the increase of my sufferings might 
enhance the glory of my heavenly Father, swell 
the measure of my merits, multiply the amount of 
1 my atonement for the innumerable sins of men, and 
the more strongly to manifest the ardor of my love 
for them. 

Oh ! if Christians had been present at my agony in 
the Garden of Gethsemani, and beheld me covered 
all over with blood, and making occasional efforts 
to lift up my aching head and my trembling hands 
towards heaven, imploring pity and compassion, 
and then in a mortal swoon falling back again upon 
the ground, groaning and sighing, panting for 
breath, and my face pale as death, — oh ! they would 
have learned how much I suffered for their sake ! 
During my long agony, I did not forget my apostles, 
who, instead of watching with me as requested, gave 
themselves up to a cowardly sleep. I prayed for them 
and for all mankind. Three times, by a strong effort, 
I stood up, and went to awake them, exhorting them 
to " watch and pray, lest they fall into temptation." 
But my entreaties were unheeded. In the sleep of 
my apostles, I saw that future lethargy of so many 
souls that would never be awakened and roused to 
the danger of their fatal errors in faith, and deadly 
sins in morality. The wilful neglect of prayer is the 
principal cause of the loss of innumerable souls. 



136 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider that few Christians can be induced 
practically to realize that one mortal sin only is suffi- 
cient to inflict an agony of death upon Jesus Christ. 
Sinners will not believe that their sins have this ter- 
rible and fatal power. Let them meditate seriously 
on the agony of our Saviour in the garden, and 
the delusion will be dispelled. Behold Him reduced 
to mortal agony ! Behold Him sweating blood ! No 
visible enemy is near Him. Ask our agonizing 
Lord what has reduced Him to such a pitiful con- 
dition. Thy sins, thy sins ! Jesus will be obliged 
to whisper to thy guilty conscience, O unhappy 
sinner ! 

Had our dear Saviour agonized only when under 
the multiplied lashes of the executioners, had He died 
only on the cross, we would certainly have attributed 
His agony and death to the torments inflicted upon 
Him. But, when we see Him alone in the Garden of 
Olives, reduced to death's agony, and covered all 
over with His own blood, where our sins are His 
exclusive tormentors, then we are forced, to our 
deep humiliation and confusion, to acknowledge that 
we have had a large share in causing His bloody 
agony, and the death of this divine victim. If in the 
Garden of Gethsemani Jesus did not actually die, 
it was not through want of malice in our sins, but 
through a miracle of His omnipotence which pre- 
served His life. 

II. May this awful truth remove the veil of sin from 
the eyes of your mind, that you may be able to see 
more clearly the horrible malice of those sins which 
in your blindness you consider small, but which in 
reality caused such bitter agony to the heart of your 
Saviour. Behold, Christian soul, behold Jesus so 



Practical Reflections. 



137 



deeply affected and horrified at the sight of your 
sins, that He falls into a deadly swoon, and over 
them he sheds tears of blood from every pore of his 
shivering and agonizing body. Learn from His ex- 
ample how to hate the monster of sin. Learn how 
great our sorrow for sin should be every day of our 
life, but, more especially, when we approach the 
sacred tribunal of penance. How great soever our 
efforts may be, we shall never reach the intensity of 
sorrow, which Jesus in the garden experienced for 
our individual sins. Conscious of our malice in 
committing them, and of our inability to repent for 
them, as we ought, let us humbly supply the weak- 
ness and imperfection of our contrition with the im- 
mensity of our Saviour's sorrow. Let us place our 
cold hearts within the burning heart of Jesus, and 
entreat Him to infuse into it a large share of His 
divine love, and of His grief for our sins. Being 
united with His spirit, let us implore Him with 
great fervor to communicate to our soul a large por- 
tion of His infinite hatred against sin, and of his 
most intense sorrow, which made Him weep for 
them with tears of blood. 

III. Christian soul, do not forget this important 
advice whenever you desire to excite yourself to 
sorrow for your sins, but more especially, when you 
prepare yourself for confession. Remember this 
great truth, that all the virtue of our contrition is 
derived from the sorrow of our agonizing Saviour. 
It is through the sorrow of Jesus only, that we can 
hope to move the justice of God to forgive our sins. 
The coldness of our heart, and the inefficiency of 
our contrition should be attributed to our neglect 
of and want of attention to this fundamental maxim 
of Christianity. Be, therefore, devout reader, more 
faithful for the future in this practice, and in a 
short time you will experience the most salutary 
and consoling effects. Your contrition will become 
supernatural and fervent, your resolutions will be 
stronger, more lasting and efficacious. Jesus will 



138 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

be with you, and His grace and love will support 
you in your temptations and trials. The agony of 
Jesus in the garden should animate your confidence 
in the goodness and mercy of God. Offer, devout 
soul, offer often to the eternal Father the sorrow and 
agony, the tears and blood, of His divine Son in 
atonement for your sins. Say to Him with humility 
and devotion : Behold, O Lord, Thy beloved Son, 
become my brother by assuming my nature, behold 
Him agonizing with sorrow, and shedding tears of 
blood to satisfy Thy divine justice, offended by my 
sins. Listen, eternal Father, to the voice of this blood, 
which cries not for vengeance, like that of Abel, but 
implores Thy compassionate mercy and pardon in 
my behalf. I beseech Thee, therefore, spare Thy 
servant, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Son's 
most precious blood. 



Second Point. 

I. Consider that Jesus in the garden teaches you the 
necessity of doing violence, for God's sake, to your 
corrupt passions. Learn from Him to resist every 
temptation, and overcome every obstacle which 
the enemies of your salvation, the world and the 
devil, will throw in your way to discourage and 
withdraw you from the service of God. Reflect 
that true virtue cannot be practised, much less sol- 
idly acquired, without effort. You will, no doubt, 
experience disgust for self-denial and mortification ; 
you will feel repugnance to the practice of penance, 
obedience, meditation, and prayer. Solitude and 
silence, study and labors will become irksome to you. 
The sacrifice of a dangerous affection, the separation 
from friends and relations, may be painful to human 
nature ; but follow the advice of St. Augustine : 
" Meditate on the agony of your Saviour, and your 
courage will be reanimated. ,, 



Practical Reflections. 



139 



II. Reflect that Jesus Christ experienced such 
repugnance in drinking the bitter chalice of the 
passion, which His heavenly Father presented to 
His blessed lips, that it threw Him in an agony 
and forced drops of blood from his body, yet He 
willingly consented to drink it. He was innocent, 
and you are guilty ; He was in perfect health, and 
you are infirm ; He was the physician, but you are 
sick with the poison of sin in your soul. Jesus drank 
the bitter draught, to encourage you in imitating His 
example, and to sweeten the portion which He left 
for your cure. If you truly desire your recovery, 
do not refuse the prescribed medicine. " Think 
diligently upon him who endured such opposition from 
sinners against himself, that you be not wearied, faint- 
ing in your minds ; for you have not yet resisted unto 
blood, striving against sin" (Heb. xii, 3, 4.) 



Third Point. 

Consider the example which Jesus in the Garden 
of Gethsemani gives to those persons who, through 
their office or state of life, have charge of souls. 

I. Neither His devotion, nor His intense sufferings 
prevented Him from watching over the conduct of 
His apostles. Three different times He went to 
visit them, and exhort all to watch and pray. Jesus 
was not satisfied with giving them the light of His 
good example, but He added to this the authority 
of His words and of His instruction. " What ! " He 
said to His disciples, " could you not watch one hour 
with me ? Watch ye and pray, that ye enter not into 
temptation. The spirit, indeed, is willing, but the flesh 
is weak." (Matt, xxvi, 41.) 

Upon this subject St. Bonaventure says : " Let all 
pastors of souls and all superiors learn from Jesus 
Christ what is their duty towards their subjects, and 
how they are bound to fulfil it. Prayer is, no doubt, 
a holy occupation ; yet, Jesus interrupts it to go and 



140 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

awaken His apostles, and to exhort them to watch, 
and to prepare themselves for trials and temptations 
by close union with God. All superiors should 
learn from Jesus Christ that they ought to be the 
first to attend to the holy exercise of prayer, and 
should pray for the souls placed by God under their 
charge. But, at the same time, this divine Master 
teaches them that the contemplative life, instead of 
rendering them careless about their subjects, should 
rather stimulate their vigilance and zeal in their 
behalf." (Life of Christ.) 

II. According to the wise maxim of St. Philip Neri, 
we should, when occasion requires, leave God for 
God's children, as Moses interrupted the sweet con- 
templation of Sinai to proclaim the law of God to 
the children of Israel. Superiors are obliged oc- 
casionally to leave the sweetness of solitude, and the 
delights of contemplation, to visit in person their 
subjects, to examine with prudent charity their 
wants, to correct their faults, to exhort them to the 
practice of virtue, teaching them how to overcome 
temptations, and how to avoid the dangers of sin. 
Superiors should offer to their subjects every oppor- 
tunity of manifesting to them their spiritual and 
temporal wants, their trials and difficulties, and 
provide for their necessities according to their means. 
In short, superiors, charged with the care of souls, 
should watch, work, and pray, and pray, work, and 
watch, to promote and facilitate their eternal salva- 
tion, which is inseparably linked with their own 
temporal and eternal happiness. 

Fourth Point. 

The appearance of the angel to Jesus agonizing 
in the Garden of Gethsemani, should be a source of 
consolation and confidence to every soul in affliction. 
Consider that God in His infinite goodness and wis- 
dom has, from our birth, deputed one of His holy 



Practical Reflections. 



141 



angels to be our constant and faithful protector, 
keeper, support, and guide in this dangerous pil- 
grimage of life. Holy David says: " God hath given 

; his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 
In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy 

; foot against a stone." (Ps. xc, 11.) Angels are given 
to us by our heavenly Father, that they may protect 
us from every evil both bodily and spiritual. 

They will most certainly do so, provided we 

\ pay attention to their inspirations, and respect the 
sanctity of their invisible, but continual, presence. 
Hence St. Bernard, commenting upon the words of 
the psalm, says : " Consider what reverence, devo- 

j tion, and confidence these words should inspire in 
thy soul for thy holy angel. Reverence for his 
presence, devotion for his benevolence, confidence 
in his protection." (Serm. 2, in Ps. xc.) 

L " Reverence for thy holy angel's presence." In 
fact, should we not have, at least, as much respect 
and veneration for the holy angel of God, continu- 
ally by our side, as dutiful children have for their 
pious parents ? In the presence of our respected par- 
ents and superiors, we would not commit any sinful 
action, or take any liberty against the respect due 
to their dignity. But we are taught by divine 
revelation, and by our holy mother the Church, 
that we are always in the presence of God's holy 
angel. He is ever by our side. He watches over 
us night and day. Our inmost thoughts and affec- 
tions are known to Him. What care then should we 
use to avoid every thought, word, and action dis- 
agreeable to this holy personage ? Could we dare to 
do in the presence of one of the great princes 
of the heavenly court any action, that we should 
not venture to perpetrate in the presence of any 
virtuous and honorable person ? Reflect, moreover, 
that, when you are in the company of another per- 
son, whom you are tempted to make the accomplice 
of your crimes, — reflect, I say, that not one only, but 
two holy angels of God are present, who shall have 



142 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

to cover, in sorrow and shame at your conduct 
their pure eyes, not to behold your wickedness. 
O Christian sinner ! how can you dare to insult 
with your sins God's holy angel? Remember St 
Bernard's words : " In every place, in every house, 
in every corner of your rooms, have respect for your 
guardian angel, and dare not to do in his presence 
what you should not venture to attempt if I were in 
your company." How many sins would be avoided, 
and how many virtues practised by Christians, if 
these sacred truths were more generally meditated 
upon, and more frequently inculcated on the people ! 
Our holy angels have been the first champions 
against sin and Satan in heaven, they are still our 
best protectors upon earth, and they are destined 
to be the triumphant conquerors of Antichrist and 
of all his infernal legions, at the end of time. 

II. Hence, as St. Bernard remarks, u We should 
have great devotion to them for their benevolence 
towards us." Our holy angels are ever ready and 
willing to help us in all our wants. They watch 
over us with more loving vigilance than the most 
affectionate mother does over her infant child. 
They timely warn us about impending dangers, and 
sweetly admonish us of our duties. They counsel 
us in our doubts, and encourage our souls in their 
difficulties. They faithfully record, from day to day, 
every pious action, every good word, every holy 
thought and affection directed to the honor and 
glory of God. They cheerfully hold over our head 
the crown, intended to reward our final victory 
over sin and Satan, when, upon the wings of their 
love, they will waft our triumphant souls to the 
kingdom of everlasting glory. "Behold" Almighty 
God says,- — " behold, I will send my angel who shall go 
before thee, and keep thee in thy joicrney, and bring 
thee into the place that I have prepared for thee. Take 
notice of him and hear his voice, and do not think him 
one to be contemned, for he will not forgive, when thou 
hast sinned, and my name is in him. But if thou wilt 



Practical Reflections. 143 

hear his twice, and do all that I speak, I will be an 
enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict 
thee, and my angel shall go before thee" (Exod. 
xxiii, 20.) 

Iir. Finally, our holy angels have been given us 
by God for our protectors and patrons ; hence, St. 
Bernard says : " We should have confidence in 
them. ,, Reflect upon the above mentioned words: 
" Behold, I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, 
and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the 
place that I have prepared [in heaven] for thee." 

These holy angels have great power with God. 
They have always been most faithful in His divine 
service. They continually stand before His throne, 
and sing everlasting praises in honor of His divine 
Majesty. They are most intimately united to God 
by love. They ardently desire to increase the 
number of His servants and worshippers, and burn 
with zeal to fill up with Christian souls the thrones 
vacated by the rebellious angels. Hence, they are 
the most powerful and ever-victorious enemies of 
the wicked adversaries of our eternal salvation. 
All these considerations should give us the most 
implicit confidence in our guardian angel. Let us 
trust in his protection. Let us daily invoke his 
mediation. Let us promptly recur to his assistance 
in all our wants, temptations, and dangers. God 
will be pleased with our devotion, and our good 
angel will be honored by our confidence.* 



Prayer. 

Most amiable Lord and Saviour ! I admire Thy 
infinite goodness, not only because Thou didst 
assume the infirmities of our humanity, and subject 
Thyself to the most cruel torments of Thy enemies ; 



* See Memoirs of a Guardian Angel, published by John Murphy 
and Co. Baltimore : 1871. 



144 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



but, above all, because Thou wishedst to suffer, in 
anticipation of Thy external passion,the most oppres- 
sive agony in Thy soul, which forced blood from 
Thy veins, and reduced Thee to the pangs of death. 
When the Jews beheld Thee shedding tears over 
the tomb of Lazarus, they exclaimed in astonish- 
ment : " Behold how he loved him ! " O good Jesus ! 
what should Christians think and say, when they 
contemplate Thee sweating blood for my sake? 
" Behold how he loved him! " Yes, my Jesus ! Thou 
hast indeed loved me. But why shall I not die with 
confusion and sorrow, when I reflect that the mere 
sight of my sins was sufficient to cast Thy soul, O 
blessed Jesus ! into an agony of death, and squeezed 
blood from every pore of Thy sacred body ? This 
agony, this prodigious blood, discovers to me the 
malice of sin more clearly than any other consider- 
ation or argument could do. O my soul, my soul ! 
a God agonizing, a man-God sweating blood on 
account of thy sins, and thou cold and indifferent 
under the horrible monster of mortal sin ! Ah ! 
this fatal indifference is the most baneful effect of sin ! 
But I cannot remain unmoved in the presence of 
my agonizing Saviour. His blood has touched and 
softened the hardness of my heart. His sorrow has 
filled my soul with contrition. I cordially hate and 
detest every sin ; and hate and detest it, because sin 
is the real cause of my Saviour's agony. 

My agonizing Redeemer ! I resolve to die a thou- 
sand times rather than to offend Thee any more. 
Infuse in my heart a share of that hatred and sorrow 
for sin, which Thou didst experience in the Garden 
of Gethsemani, so that, if I cannot wash them away 
from my soul with my blood, I may, at least, deplore 
them with tears of most intense contrition, during 
the remainder of my life. Grant me the grace, for 
the future, to live only for Thy love in the perfect 
accomplishment of all my duties, that I may always 
be united with all the blessed spirits in doing Thy 
Father's will upon earth, as they do it in heaven. 



Practical Reflections. 



145 



Most adorable Saviour ! may Thy most holy will 
be ever accomplished within me, about me, and in 
every thing that belongs to me. Most holy Mary ! 
obtain from your divine Son for me the grace of 
renouncing my own will, and of seeking in every 
thing, as you did, the promotion of His honor and 
glory. But, because in the faithful fulfilment of 
this sacred duty, I may meet with obstacles, and 
experience the reluctance of my vicious nature ; 
then be pleased, O Queen of angels ! to send these 
holy spirits to my assistance, to keep and protect me 
in my journey in this land of exile, and to conduct 
me safely to heaven, where, in their happy company, 
I may, with you, forever love, thank, and praise 
God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



146 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



VII. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS IS BETRAYED BY JUDAS, AND BOUND LIKE 
A MALEFACTOR. 

Voice of Jesus. 

Whilst I was speaking with my apostles, after 
my prayer, in the Garden of Gethsemani, Judas 
appeared at the head of a band of soldiers armed 
with swords and sticks, and carrying lighted torches 
and lanterns. The moon was full and high up in 
the heavens ; but, refusing to afford light for the 
commission of the intended horrible sacrilege, and 
behold her creator betrayed by the treacherous kiss 
of an apostle into the hands of his enemies, she, as it 
were, concealed her face, and hid her light behind 
the gloom of thick clouds. This is the explanation 
of the mystery why burning torches and lanterns 
were used on such an occasion. With the help of 
these lights, my enemies were led by Judas near me 
in the garden, for the place was well known to him ; 
where he, with the rest of my apostles, had often 
been invited to accompany me and pray. Accord- 
ing to a preconcerted plan with his associates in 
crime, Judas stepped forward, came to me, threw 
his arms around me, and saluting me with these 
words, "Hail, Master" kissed me on my cheek. His 
sacrilegious hypocrisy was well known to me. I 
knew his wicked design, I could have commanded 
the earth to open beneath his feet, and, like Core, 
Dathan, and Abyron, to swallow him up alive. But, 
in order to soften his heart and convert him, I re- 
ceived him with affection, treated him with kindness, 
and with gentle sweetness said to him : " Friend, 
what art thou come for ? " At the same time I warmly 
embraced him, and pressed him to my loving bosom. 



Jesus Betrayed and Bound. 



147 



Judas, however, remained silent and gave no answer. 
Then, to make him and his companions understand 
that 1 was well aware of all their wicked designs, I 
said aloud : " Judas, betray est thou the Son of man with 
a kiss ? 99 This gentle rebuke and my marks of affec- 
tion made no impression on his obdurate heart. 
He became restless and impatient, and abruptly dis- 
engaged himself from my arms, and withdrew 
towards his wicked companions, casting upon them 
an angry look of reproach, because the) 7 had not 
seized me whilst he was embracing me. I calmly 
looked at them all for a moment, then moved a few 
steps towards them, and asked : " Whom seek ye? " 
They boldly answered : " We seek Jesus of Nazareth.". 
I said : " Ego sum "T am He." Scarcely had I 
pronounced these two short words, when all at once, 
as if struck by a thunderbolt, they reeled backward, 
and fell upon the ground. 

All my apostles remained standing in their places, 
and were filled with admiration, when they saw 
that prostrate and helpless mass of my mortal ene- 
mies. They believed them all dead, and expected 
me to go away. " But I will not the death of the 
sinner, but his conversion and life." I wrought this 
miracle to make the power of my divinity practi- 
cally felt and acknowledged by my persecutors. I 
repeated the same prodigy after a short time, by re- 
calling them to their senses, and by restoring their 
health and strength. I gave them permission to 
rise to their feet. In their presence, I miraculously 
healed the ear of Malcus, the servant and emissary 
of the high-priest Gaiphas, which my apostle Peter 
had cut off with a stroke of his sword. But all 
these tokens of my power and goodness served only 
to increase their hatred and boldness. It was, then, 
after forbidding them doing any injury to my apostles, 
that I voluntarily gave myself up into their hands. 
I was immediately seized. All rushed upon me 
like ravenous wolves, they shouted and yelled in 
frantic triumph. They struck me, kicked me, bound 



148 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

me with cords, and manacled my hands with irons. 
Then they hurried me out of the Garden of Geth- 
semani, towards the eastern gate of the City of 
Jerusalem. 

During all this time, 1 was like a lamb led to the 
slaughter-house without opening my mouth. I 
offered all these insults and sufferings to my eternal 
Father to atone for the sins of men, and to obtain 
the gift of patience for all my faithful servants, when 
they are persecuted and ill-treated for my sake. I 
intended to teach thee also, my child, that thje 
golden chains of my love ought to be stronger than 
cords and manacles. I could, more easily than 
Samson, have snapped asunder cords and manacles, 
and escaped from my enemies ; but I offered myself 
as a voluntary victim for the sake of men, for love 
is stronger than death. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider how strong are the unhappy bonds 
of sin, and what power an ill-regulated passion can 
exercise upon the heart of a man who becomes a 
slave to it. Judas, admitted by Jesus Christ among 
the number of the twelve chosen apostles, brought 
up in Flis school, made His minister, and the 
preacher of His gospel of charity ; Judas, who 
received so many tokens of his divine Master's 
goodness and confidence, is carried away so far by 
the low and sordid passion of cupidity, as to betray 
and sell his Lord and Saviour for thirty pieces of 
silver ! Good God ! what a fall ! All the good- 
ness and kindness of the divine Jesus cannot move 
the corrupt heart of Judas. The most salutary and 
opportune admonitions of his Master, His affecting 
reproaches both in the supper-room and in the 
Garden of Gethsemani, the sharpest interior 



Practical Reflections. 



149 



remorse of conscience, cannot restrain him from the 
fatal precipice. Judas falls from sin to sin, from 
abyss to abyss. One crime opens wider the way 
to another, until he plunges headlong into the awful 
gulf of despair, throws away, as burning coals, the 
ill-gotten price of treason and sacrilege, hangs 
himself, and ends his life in infamy, to send his 
unhappy soul to the prison of everlasting fire. 

II. Look attentively, Christian soul, look at the 
hanging, lifeless corpse of Judas, and learn at his 
expense to count the cost and consequences of a 
predominant passion. Make the contrast here, 
between the treason of Judas, and the denial of 
Peter. Peter is easily and immediately converted, 
and saved ; Judas is obstinate in crime, and damned. 
The reason is because Peter fell through surprise, 
through weakness, without the least premeditation, 
and contrary to his intention. God is easily moved 
to compassion for such sinners. But the treason 
of Judas was a crime committed through a deeply 
rooted predominant passion, and after long and seri- 
ous premeditation. Judas was not taken by surprise, 
but went in search of the occasion. His ruling, 
besetting passion was avarice, or rather covetous- 
ness for money, the idol of so many Christian 
hearts. Judas gave proof of his passion, when he 
sought to obtain the office of purser and steward 
for the college of the apostles. He manifested it 
more clearly in a public banquet through his burst 
of indignant rebuke to the noble and generous 
Magdalene, when she broke the alabaster vessel to 
anoint with a precious perfume the sacred head 
and feet of his divine Master. In his business-like 
calculation, he quickly valued that offering worth 
three hundred pieces of silver. In this shining 
pile of money before his imagination, Judas saw 
the most favorable opportunity for a rich embezzle- 
ment. But his hopes were dashed to the ground 
when the vessel was broken. Blinded by his passion, 
and forgetting the most ordinary duties of social 



15° 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



hospitality, Judas became flushed with anger, and 
standing up, cried aloud: " Why this zvaste ? This 
ointment could have been sold for three hundred pieces, 
and given to the poor. . . . Now he said this" St. John 
adds, "not because he cared for the poor, but because he 
was a thief, and having the purse, carried what was 
put therein." (John, xii, 5.) Foiled on this occasion, 
J udas resolved to repair his loss by selling the very 
person of his divine Master, whom the devout lady 
had anointed. He went to the Jewish priests, and 
concluded the infamous bargain. Alas ! how true 
it is that " there is not a more wicked thing than to 
love money ; for such a one setteth even his own soul to 
sale." (Ecclus. x, 10.) 

III. Consider, Christian soul, that cupidity is the 
general pest of the present material age. Devout 
readers of pious books like this give proof that they 
are not infected by this vice, but they are not out 
of danger. If one of our Lord's apostles fell, who 
shall not fear for himself, when the contagion is 
more universal, and its virulence more destructive? 
Keep yourself, then, upon your guard, and provide 
yourself in time with antidotes. Reflect seriously 
that u a covetous person is a worshipper of idols, that 
shall have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and 
of God." (Ephes. v, 5.) Meditate on the awful 
words of our Saviour : " Woe to you that are rich, 
for you have your consolation!'' (Luke, vi, 24.) 
" Ameit I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter 
into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you : 
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a 
needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of 
heaven." (Matt, xix, 23.) Think of the eternal 
punishment of the wealthy and self-indulgent Dives, 
to whom it was said : " Remember that thou didst 
receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus, 
evil things : but now he is comforted^ and thou art 
tormented." (Luke, xvi, 25.) " Therefore trust not in 
iniquity, and covet not robberies : if riches abound, set 
not your heart upon them" (Ps. lxi, 11.) 



Practical Reflections. 



I5i 



IV. The thought of your fast approaching death 
will prove the most effective check against cupidity 
and avarice. Reflect upon what was said to the 
rich man mentioned in the Gospel, who flattered his 
vanity and sensuality, because "he had much goods 
laid up" as he thought, " for many years. But God 
said to him : Thou fool, this night do they require 
thy soul of thee ; and whose shall those things be, 
which thou hast provided f ... So is he that layeth 
up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards 
God. . . . Therefore I say to you : Be not solicitous for 
your life what you shall eat ; nor for your body what 
you shall put on." (Luke, xii, 20.) " For after all 
these things do the heathens seek. Your Father knoweth 
that you have need of all these things : seek ye therefore 
first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these 
things shall be added unto you." (Matt, vi, 33.) "Lay 
up for yourself treasures in heaven, where neither 
the rust, nor the moth doth consume, and where thieves 
do not dig through nor steal, for, where your treasure 
is, your heart will also be." (Matt, vi, 20.) "Blessed 
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven." (Matt, v, 3.) Their detachment from 
creatures will be the measure of their eternal 
happiness. 



Second Point. 

I. Consider attentively the words of Jesus Christ 
to the traitor Judas : He said, " Judas! betrayest 
thou the Son of man with a kiss ? " Which may mean : 
Judas, if thou art my enemy, why kissest thou me; 
and if thou art my disciple, why betrayest thou thy 
master? Moreover Jesus styled Himself the Son of 
man, to show that, though truly man, yet He, as 
God, knew the most secret designs of his heart; 
that He became man for man's salvation, and that 
He felt most keenly the treason of one of His 
apostles. O Judas, Judas, my apostle ! I have 



152 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

assumed for thy sake this human nature, which 
thou now betrayest with a kiss. I am thy God and 
Creator; I became man to be thy brother, thy 
Redeemer and Saviour; by thy treason thou 
changest my passion and my death into thy deepest 
condemnation. This knowledge causes the most 
bitter anguish to my heart. " Ah / Judas, betrayest 
thou the Son of God with a kiss ? " 

II. Consider, moreover, that, blinded by his pas- 
sion, Judas committed the two greatest crimes that 
man can commit. By his treason he sinned against 
the Son of man, namely, the humanity of Jesus Christ ; 
by his despair, Judas sinned against the Son of God, 
or rather against the Holy Ghost, St. Bonaventure 
says : " Judas sinned more grievously by despairing 
than by his treason. Because his treason was a sin 
directed against the humanity of Christ; but his 
despair was a crime against His divinity, against 
the Holy Ghost, denying God's infinite goodness 
and mercy/ ' (Life of Christ.) Conclude from this, 
how deeply the heart of Jesus must have been 
afflicted at the despair of Judas. Judas' treason was 
painful to the heart of that loving Master. But He 
was ready to forgive it. For this reason Jesus 
called him His friend, He embraced Judas, He 
pressed him to His bosom with the arms of His 
love and mercy. Had the heart of Judas been 
moved at these endearing tokens of his divine 
Master's goodness, had he been converted,— oh ! how 
gladly Jesus would have forgiven him. But his 
obstinacy in malice forced, at last, these words from 
the afflicted soul of our Saviour : " Judas, betrayest 
thou the Son of man with a kiss?" Judas, thy ob- 
stinacy in treason is the most painful stab to my 
agonizing heart. 

III. Christian sinner! if you have imitated Judas 
in your treason, do not follow him in his despair. 
You may, like Judas, have preferred a sordid gain 
to the kingdom of God ; you may have postponed 
Jesus to Barabbas, the love and grace of God to the 



1 



Practical Reflections. 



153 



friendship and favor of men ; you may have in- 
dulged your predominant passion, neglected or 
even profaned the sacraments. But do not imitate 
Judas in adding to all this the awful sin of despair, 
which, according to St. Augustine and St. Bona- 
venture, is the unpardonable sin against the Holy 
Ghost. 

Reflect that the merits of your Saviour's passion 
are infinitely greater than all the sins of men, and 
consequently greater than all your sins. His sacred 
blood can wash away all crimes. Listen to the 
tender words of the Apostle of charity : " My little 
children, these things I write to you, that you may not 
sin ; but if any man sin, we have an advocate with the 
Father, Jesus Christ the Just. And he is the propitia- 
tion for our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for 
those of the whole world." (1. John, ii, 1, 2.) 

Jesus is the good shepherd, who goes in search of 
the lost sheep. His heart is full of joy when He re- 
covers it again. Jesus is the physician of our souls. 
His honor and His glory are increased by the con- 
version and cure of great sinners, like you, despond- 
ing soul. He will invite all the angels and saints of 
heaven to rejoice with Him at your conversion. 
Do not refuse this consolation to the loving heart of 
your divine Saviour. 

God is infinite in mercy, as He is infinite in good- 
ness. He can forgive you because He is omnipotent. 
He will forgive you, because he has promised to do 
so. God wills not the death, but the conversion and 
eternal salvation of the sinner. " As I live, saith the 
Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that 
the wicked turn from his way, and live : turn ye, 
turn ye from your evil ways : and why will you die, O 
house of Israel f M (Ezech. xxxiii, 11.) 

IV. Poor deluded sinner, you are tempted to dread 
God's justice. But reflect that God's justice is 
bound to yield to God's promises. God has most 
solemnly and repeatedly promised to forgive the 
repenting sinner, therefore His justice is bound 



154 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



to forgive you, if you repent : " Turn ye, turn ye 
from your evil ways : and why will you die, O house 
of Israel? . . . If we repent and confess our sins, 
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" 
(i John, i, 9.) • 

Here then you have not one only, but four eter- 
nal columns to support and uphold your Christian 
hope of pardon, namely : the mercy, the omnipo- 
tence, the fidelity, and the justice of God. 

Hence the venerable Father John d'Avila says: 
"Those sinners who are lost, are not lost through 
the fault of God, but because they will not avail 
themselves of the remedies that God has amply pro- 
vided for their conversion and salvation in the 
atonement of Jesus Christ, and in the efficacy of 
the sacraments left by Him to His Church. Jesus 
has fully satisfied divine justice for us. If our sins 
terrify us, the remembrance of Jesus' passion and 
death should animate and support our hope. 

St. Thomas of Villanuova adds : " Sinners ! if 
you detest your sins, you have no cause for fear. 
How can you for a moment fear that Jesus, who 
died to save your soul, will condemn you ? Jesus, 
who came from heaven to search after you, — will 
He reject you, when you return to Him ? Look at 
Him upon the cross. His arms are stretched wide 
open to embrace you, and His head is bowed down 
to give you the kiss of reconciliation and pardon." 



Third Point. 

Consider the words of our Lord addressed to the 
Jews in the garden of Gethsemani, Ego sum, — "I am 
He." These simple words uttered by Jesus Christ 
immediately after His agony, were sufficient to cast 
down upon the ground a large multitude of armed 
enemies. . . . " As soon as he had said to them, I am 
He, they went backward, and fell to the ground." 
(John, xviii, 6.) 



Practical Reflections, 



155 



Let us make some practical reflections upon this 
fact. The first will animate our hope, the second 
will check our presumption. 

L The enemies of our salvation are numerous and 
strong. But a word from Jesus is sufficient to 
scatter them. The holy name of Jesus, pronounced 
with devotion and confidence, can drive away from 
us legions of demons. The Scripture saith : "Who- 
soever believeth in him, shall not be confounded . . . . 
For the same is Lord over all, rich to all that call upon 
him. Hence whosoever shall call upon the name of the 
Lord, shall be saved'' (Rom. x, 13.) Again the enemies 
of the Church of Christ have never been so numer- 
ous, so malicious, and so powerful. " Why have the 
modern gentiles raged, and the nations devised vain 
things ? The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes 
are assembled together against the Lord, and against 
the Vicar of Christ. ."(Acts, iv, 25, .) u Let God arise, and 
let his enemies be scattered ; and let them that hate 
him flee before his face. As smoke vanisheth, so let 
them vanish away ; as wax melteth before the fire, so 
let the wicked perish at the presence of God!' (Ps. 
Ixvii, i.) " The gates of hell cannot prevail against the 
Church, because Jesus is always with her : and if 
Christ be for us, who shall be against us?" He will once 
more say : Ego sum, — " I am He." His enemies, 
who are our enemies, will be pushed backward, and 
fall to the ground, never to rise again. 

II. " Consider here," says St. Gregory the Great, 
" how different is the overthrow of the impious, and 
the humiliation of the just. The just, by voluntary 
repentance and penance, humble themselves before 
the offended Majesty of God, by whom they are 
forgiven and exalted. For, to prostrate ourselves 
with our face upon the ground, is to humbly 
acknowledge our sins, and to implore mercy and 
forgiveness. But the impious, who in their pride 
refuse to humble themselves, shall, like the Jews in 
the garden of Gethsemani, be cast down backward 
upon the ground. Thus their fall shall be more 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



disgraceful and more painful. The sinner that 
obstinately refuses to humble himself shall be 
humbled." (St. Greg., lib. 31, moral, cap. 18, et 
homil. 9, in Ezech.) Admire here the power and 
the goodness of Jesus Christ, who in so many ways 
seeks to obtain the conversion and salvation of His 
enemies. He prostrated them backward, that, even 
in spite of themselves, they might look at Him 
when stretched upon the ground, and beg His 
pardon. But as they refused, implore Him to move 
and convert th)^ heart with His word, that falling 
voluntarily with thy face to the ground, thou 
mayest through humility obtain pardon for thy 
sins, and thus be in time reconciled to His divine 
Majesty. " For, if the voice of Jesus," says St. 
Augustine, u who was about to be judged by His 
enemies, had such power with them, what w T ill 
be the effect of His divine power when he shall 
come to judge mankind at the end of time ! How 
terrible will be the» thunder of those awful words : 
* Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire' ! " 
(Matt, xxv, 41.) 



Prayer. 

Divine Jesus ! I am horrified at the impiety and 
treason of Judas. But if, through my misfortune, 
I have ever received Thee unworthily in Thy 
blessed sacrament, with wilful mortal sin in my 
soul, I have also given Thee the kiss of treason. 
Thy infinite goodness and charity, however, which 
fills me with confusion and sorrow for my baseness, 
animates my hope of pardon. Merciful Saviour! 
when I contemplate Thy kindness to the traitor 
Judas, and experience Thy forbearance with me, 
miserable sinner, I cannot despair. I will not offer 
this new insult to Thy infinite goodness and power, 
by doubting Thy mercy, when I, like the prodigal 
son, return to Thee with an humble and contrite 



Practical Reflections. 



157 



heart, which Thou never despisest. I shall never 
think or say with Judas, that " my sins are greater 
than Thy goodness." I know Judas was not lost 
through his sacrilegious communion, but through 
his despair of Thy mercy. I acknowledge that my 
sins have been manifold and great, but with un- 
shaken faith I believe that Thy tender mercies are 
infinite. I firmly rely on the faithful words of Thy 
apostle, which are worthy of all acceptation, that thou, 
my Jesus, hast come into this world to save sinners, 
of whom I can say with greater truth than St. Paul, 
that "/ am the chief! 1 (1 Tim. i, 15.) But if I am 
the first and the lowest in misery, I have the first 
right and highest title to Thy mercy. For misery 
is Thy mercy's dearest object. This is the firm 
foundation of my hope, that I will ever cherish in 
my humble and contrite heart. 

Mother most clement, Mother of my Jesus, who 
sacrificed His life to save my soul, most compas- 
sionate Virgin ! it has never been heard of that 
any one had recourse to thy protection, or sought 
thy mediation, without obtaining relief. Oppressed 
by the crushing burden of my sins, I come to you, 
O Mother of my Saviour ! and cast myself at your 
feet, O refuge of sinners ! and place all my hope of 
salvation in your hands. Strengthen my confidence 
in the mercy of your divine Son, for you know that 
" nobody has ever been confounded, who has hoped in 
him!' (Ecclus. ii, 11.) Obtain for me the grace to be 
able to repeat at the point of my death : " In thee, 
O Lord, have I hoped: let me never be confounded!' 
(Ps. xxx, 1.) 



158 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



VIII. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS IS LED BEFORE ANNAS, AND STRUCK ON THE 

FACE. 

Voice of Jesus. 

My apostle, Judas, being well aware of my super- 
natural strength, and being anxious, as a traitor, 
that I should be securely brought before the high- 
priest and the Jewish magistrates, in order that he 
might receive the much-coveted price of his treason, 
had said to my enemies : " Whomsoever I shall kiss, 
that is he ; lay hold on him, and lead him away 
cautiously" (Mark, xiv. 44.) In consequence of 
this warning, 1 was strongly bound with cords and 
manacles, and being surrounded by a band of officers 
and soldiers, I was rudely dragged away to the city 
of Jerusalem. I, on the way, was often insulted with 
the most opprobrious and offensive epithets, struck 
with clenched fists and with heavy sticks. In pass- 
ing the torrent Cedron, I was so violently dragged 
and pushed, that I fell down against some rocks in 
the bed of the stream. Being very much exhausted, 
I drank some of the water, and stood up again, 
realizing the prophetic words of my grandfather 
David : " He shall drink- of the torrent in the way, 
therefore shall he lift up the head." (Ps. cix, 7.)* 



* See Life and Revelations of Sister Ann Catharine Enimerick. 
Holy David, figure of Jesus Christ, crossed this torrent, when obliged 
to fly from Jerusalem by the treason and rebellion of his son Absalom. 

According to the learned Baronius and other historians, our Lord 
jesus Christ in His fall left the miraculous impressions of His hands, 
knees, and feet upon a large stone in the bed of the stream, which have 
been and are at this present time visited and venerated by the devout 
pilgrims who go to Jerusalem and to the Holy Land. (Baron. Lib. I, 
ser. 34, No. 66. Also Quaves, Hist. lib. 4, c. 13.) 



Practical Reflections. 



All my apostles had abandoned me, and fled away. 
Judas alone kept near me, determined to consum- 
mate his crime. All this afflicted more my soul than 
the blows and insults of my cruel enemies tormented 
my body. I offered all my sufferings to my eternal 
Father in atonement for these crimes, and for the sins 
of the whole world. Having arrived in the city of 
Jerusalem, bound like the worst of malefactors, I was 
brought immediately to the house of the old high- 
priest Annas, who was father-in-law to Caiphas. 
He began at once to question me about my doctrine 
and my disciples. For my mild and discreet answer 
I received from one of the soldiers, standing by my 
side, a severe blow upon my face. With an air of 
satisfaction, and by his silence, the high pontiff 
approved of this affront publicly offered to me * 

Contemplate, my child, how much I had to suffer 
for thy sake. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

L Consider who Jesus is, whom you behold so 
ignominiously bound with cords and iron manacles, 
and dragged along like a wicked and dangerous 
malefactor. Reflect that it has always been consid- 
ered a degrading humiliation and deep ignominy for 
a person of high dignity to be bound with manacles 
and cords, like a low and vile criminal. The great 
pagan emperor, Alexander, having received in battle 
a'severe wound, which required a surgical operation, 

* " Why was Jesus brought before Annas ? " asks St. John Chryso- 
stom. " To make a show of their captive, and proclaim their triumph, " 
he answers. (Homil. 32.) 

A church has been built by devout Christians in the old house of the 
high pontiff Annas, in Jerusalem, which is held in great veneration by 
the Armenian Catholics, and it is called the Church of the Holy Angels, 
as if the angels grieved and wept, in their own way, at this public in- 
sult offered to their divine Lord and King. 



160 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

refused to be bound, when he was advised to con- 
sent to it, saying : " It is a dishonor for an emperor to 
be bound." The pious and martyred King of France, 
Louis XVI, when brought to the scaffold for public 
execution in Paris, strongly objected to be bound 
before being beheaded, and repelled the barbarous 
executioners, saying : " I will never allow it to be 
said that a king of France consented to die bound 
with cords like a coward, and a vile criminal. " It 
was only when his prudent and devoted confessor 
proposed to him the example of our Saviour, and 
exhorted him to imitate it, that the pious monarch 
consented to endure this public humiliation. But 
Jesus Christ is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, 
supreme Sovereign of heaven and earth. He is a 
God of infinite majesty and omnipotent power, 
countless millions of angels are in adoration before 
Him ; with a word He prostrated all His armed 
enemies to the ground. With an act of His omni- 
potent will He could have destroyed all men, and 
annihilated the whole world. Yet this mighty God 
allowed Himself to be bound like the vilest of male- 
factors. 

II. Pause, devout soul, and look at this divine 
captive. His hands are manacled, His arms pinioned, 
a rope is fastened around His neck. A. crowd of in- 
furiated men are surrounding His person, and heap- 
ing insults and blows upon this meek and silent 
Lamb of God. Good God ! what a spectacle ! All 
the angels of heaven hide their faces in sorrowful 
astonishment. . . . You will understand the mystery 
when you reflect that our divine Saviour is atoning 
for our sins, and wishes to undergo all their effects. 
One of the consequences of sin is to deprive the 
soul of the liberty of the children of God, and to 
bind her in slavery to Satan, and to her own evil 
passions. "His own iniquities catch the wicked ; and 
he is fast hound with the ropes of his own sins" (Pro v. 
v. 22.) "The cords of the wicked have encompassed 
me." (Ps. cxviii, 61.) "Woe to you who draw iniquity 



Practical Reflections. 



161 



with cords of vanity, and sin as the rope of a cart." 
(Isa. iv, 1 8.) 

III. By his external bonds our Lord wished to rep- 
resent to us the unhappy condition of the sinner, 
bound with the ropes of his own sins. In His compas- 
sionate mercy, our Saviour removed these galling 
chains from us, and voluntarily allowed Himself to 
be bound with them, in order to make us free. 
" Then the band, and the tribune, and the servants of the 
Jews, took Jesus and bound him." (John, xviii, 12.) 
Consider here the crowd of eager persons who rushed 
with impetuosity upon our meek Saviour, anxious 
to have a share in His capture. In the multitude 
of these persecutors, behold the number of your sins; 
and in the violence of their malice, learn the gripe 
of your spiritual chains. Christian soul ! Jesus be- 
comes your substitute in captivity, to grant to you 
the glorious liberty of God's children. Who will 
not, at this spectacle of divine mercy, exclaim with 
St. Laurence Justinian : O charitas ! quant magnum 
est vinculum tuum, quo Deus ligari potuit : " O charity ! 
how strong is thy bond, which could bind a God 99 ? 

Courage, then, Christian sinner ; fear not to ap- 
proach your Redeemer when you contemplate Him 
bound in the chains of your own sins. His hands 
cannot repel you. He has bound them tightly, to 
give you confidence in His mercy. Jesus desires 
you to come to Him. He invites you to repentance, 
that, through His forgiveness, He may be able to 
remove these chains, not only from your soul, but 
also from His own hands and arms, and thus 
embrace and press you to His loving bosom, and 
enrich your soul with His gifts and blessings. 

IV. However, if you dread the majesty of your 
offended God, go, Christian sinner, go, without 
delay, to His sacred minister, who is a man like you, 
that you may not fear him. Go to him with confi- 
dence, for, as your father in Christ, he loves your 
soul. He can forgive you all your sins, if you but 
whisper them in secret to his compassionate ear. 



1 62 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



If the priest of God is like you in nature, that he 
may compassionate your weakness; yet through 
the grace of his ordination, he has from Jesus Christ 
received the power of forgiving all your sins, how 
numerous and grievous soever they may be. " Amen, 
I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, 
shall be bound also in heaven ; and whatsoever you shall 
loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matt, 
xviii, 1 8.) " Receive ye the Holy Ghost : whose sins you 
shall forgive, they are forgiven : and whose sins you 
shall retain, they are retained" (John, xx, 23.) 



Second Point. 

I. Consider how deeply wounded the loving heart 
of Jesus must have been in the garden of Gethsem- 
ani, when all His apostles abandoned Him. Our 
divine Lord had, with a special love of predilection, 
selected them from among all men, to be His 
faithful disciples. He soon raised them to the 
eminent dignity of the apostleship of His gospel of 
salvation, made them His ambassadors to mankind, 
communicated to them His heavenly secrets, and 
gave them power to work miracles. A few hours 
before, our Lord had ordained them priests and made 
them bishops, with full power of conferring the same 
dignity on others. He gave to them in food His 
sacred body, and His divine blood in drink, with 
orders to continue offering the same august sacrifice 
to the end of time. He had given them power to loose 
and forgive all sins, and promised them many other 
favors in time and eternity, provided they remained 
faithful to His love and service. The apostles had 
solemnly pledged themselves to do so, and renewed 
their promise a short time before. But, as soon as 
they saw their Master in the hands of His enemies, 
they forgot all His favors and their resolutions, and 
flew from Him. Instead of being scandalized at the 



Practical Reflections. 163 



conduct of the apostles, we should rather enter into 
the heart of Jesus, and consider what grief this 
\ abandonment must have caused Him. 

II. Let us also seriously reflect upon our own 
I conduct. So long as Jesus Christ lavishes His sen- 
sible favors upon us, we like to be among His 
disciples. We desire to live on Mount Thabor 
among the splendors of His glory. We wish to be 
in His company, when the world admires His doctrine 
and proclaims His miracles. We are delighted to 
sit down' and partake of food, which has been 
miraculously provided by His goodness and power. 
In short, so long as our temporal interest, personal 
comfort and honor are promoted, we are willing to 
follow Jesus Christ. But when our love and fidelity 
are put to the test by trials, humiliations and suffer- 
ings in His service, then our courage fails, we turn 
our back upon Him, and, like the Jews, "we walk 
with him 710 more." (John, vi, 67.) 

When the world admires and honors the Catholic 
Church, many glory in being reckoned among her 
children ; but when the storm of persecution comes, 
then they cowardly abandon their Mother. If the 
profession and external practice of religion promote 
their temporal interests and personal honor, some 
persons make themselves remarkable for their ap- 
parent zeal ; but when some sacrifice is required, 
their conduct is speedily changed. 

Some devotees make profession of piety so long as 
their whims are indulged by some priest or con- 
fessor ; but when the immolation of self-will is de- 
manded in the real practice of true Christian virtue, 
then they turn their back upon him, and walk with 
him 110 more. 

III. Even some religious persons may be found, 
who can sail well with a favorable wind ; but when 
they have to row against the current, when they 
feel the rigors of regular discipline, the self-denial 
of religious obedience, and the humiliation of neg- 
lected solitude, then the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ, 



164 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



and the light burden of the religious life, become 
irksome and insupportable to them. 

Oh, let us, once for all, learn, from the example of 
Jesus Christ, to be faithful in all the duties of our 
vocation, and in the execution of God's holy will ! 
Whether God calls us to teach, or to learn in the 
Temple, to work in Nazareth, or to preach in 
Judea, to eat the paschal lamb, or to agonize in the 
garden, to be glorified on Mount Thabor, or cruci- 
fied on Mount Calvary, let us be faithful unto death, 
if we wish to obtain the crown of glory. "He that shall 
persevere unto the end, he shall be saved." (Matt, x, 22.) 



Third Point. 

I. The passion of Jesus Christ is a rich mine ; the 
deeper we dig into it, the richer treasures we dis- 
cover. We can find examples of every virtue, and 
lessons of duty to every class of persons. We shall 
find the passion to be the most admirable univer- 
sity wherein to study the nature and learn the 
dispositions of the human mind. The passion of 
Christ, warmed by His divine love, and moistened 
by the fertilizing showers of His sweat, tears, and 
blood, like the spring season in which it took place, 
brings up to the surface of the soul all the earthly 
weeds and noxious plants of the human heart. We 
shall in future have many opportunities to wit- 
ness this fact. Let us now confine our attention to 
one event. When our divine Master was asked by 
the high-priest Annas about His doctrines and about 
His disciples, He gave the following most wise and 
prudent answer : " I have spoken openly to the world : 
I have always taught in the synagogue and in the 
temple : and in private I have spoken nothing. Ask 
them who have heard what I have spoken to them. 
Behold^ they know what things I have said." (John, 
xviii, 20.) This was the most satisfactory answer 
that could be given in such circumstances. "But one 



Practical Reflections. 



165 



of the officers standing by gave Jesus a blow, saying: 
Answer est thou the high-priest so?" (Ibid. v. 22.) 
This, according to St. John's Gospel, happened in 
the house of the high pontiff Annas. This was the 
father-in-law of Caiphas, the supreme pontiff of 
the Jews, but Annas was to be his successor the year 
following. 

II. In the blow which the impudent officer inflicted 
on the meek face of Jesus, we see the flattery and 
servility of men to persons in high dignities. Annas 
was not the high pontiff, and consequently had no 
right to try our Lord before his tribunal. But he 
was the father-in-law of the supreme pontiff Caiphas, 
and was expected to succeed him soon in his dignity. 
Hence an ambitious officer flatters his vanity in the 
hope of attracting his attention, and obtaining speedy 
promotion. Alas ! how often injustice, oppression 
and persecution against calumniated innocence and 
virtue are approved and defended in the world. In 
these unhappy times of despotism there is a general 
conspiracy among the high powers of the earth for 
the oppression of the Church, the persecution of the 
Vicar of Christ upon earth, and of holy bishops, 
priests, religious, and faithful Catholics ; and behold 
crowds of ambitious officers, impious scribes of the 
press, and hypocritical Pharisees of the pulpit, stand- 
ing up to applaud and defend by their cooperation, 
by their voices, and by their writings, the cruel 
persecution of innocence and virtue. The tem- 
porary success of the wicked is blasphemously 
proclaimed as the reward of heaven. Might and 
vice are honored and flattered, and right and virtue 
are despised and buffeted by the minions of the earth. 
But truth, justice, and virtue shall triumph. Jesus 
persecuted, calumniated, buffeted, spat upon, 
scourged and crucified, shall soon rise glorious and 
immortal from the grave, and all His enemies shall 
be speedily summoned before His divine tribunal to 
receive from Him the sentence of their eternal con- 
demnation. Judas, Annas, Caiphas, Pilate, and 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Herod are names of infamy in history ; but Jesus of 
Nazareth lives, is honored and worshipped by His 
Church, and His triumph is proclaimed and will 
be proclaimed by her to the end of time among all 
the nations of the earth. 

III. After having deplored cringing flattery to 
vicious power, let us turn our attention to oppressed 
virtue. Our Lord Jesus Christ, alter receiving the 
painful and humiliating blow upon His face, waited 
a few moments to see whether His arrogant judge 
would defend Him ; but perceiving that Annas ap- 
proved the insult by his silence, and by the expression 
of satisfaction in his looks, our Saviour spoke at 
last in His own justification, and turning gently to 
the officer, Jesus said to him, " If I have spoken ill, 
give testimony of the evil : but if zvell, why strikest 
thou me (John, as above.) Our divine Master on 
this occasion teaches us some important lessons : — 
i. That we have a right to defend a just cause before 
a legitimate tribunal, before which we have been 
brought by our enemies. 2. That we have a right to 
confute the calumnies and sophisms of our adver- 
saries by sound and conclusive arguments in our 
justification. 3. That we are allowed to correct their 
malicious statements, and demand the protection 
both of our rights and of our persons. 4. That in 
all these circumstances we should use prudence, 
moderation and charity. 5. That in the interior of 
our mind we should be disposed to bear with resig- 
nation an adverse and unjust sentence, and all its 
inevitable consequences, leaving to God the future 
'ustification of our innocence ; and expecting from 
Him the ample reward which He has promised 
to those who suffer persecution for justice' sake. 
(Matt, v, 12.) 

IV. On any occasion of private and personal insult, 
we should learn from our divine Saviour to pre- 
serve patience, meekness, and charity towards our 
offender. According to St. Augustine, our Lord's 
advice to offer the other cheek, when we have been 



Practical Reflections. 



167 



struck on one side of the face, is not intended to be 
observed literally, but in the spirit of patient charity. 
In fact, meekness and charity do not reside in the 
face, but in the heart. For it might happen, in like 
disagreeable event, that some person insulted would 
offer the other cheek, moved by anger and a spirit 
of defiance, or with the vainglorious boast of stoi- 
cal pride and bravado. Our divine Master cannot 
approve, much less counsel, these unchristian dispo- 
sitions. His intention was to teach us to bear injury, 
not only by resisting anger and hatred, but with 
an internal disposition of mind of suffering more, 
if necessary, without, how T ever, omitting the duty of 
fraternal correction, when this is required by cir- 
cumstances, and it can be given with moderation 
and charity, and may be received with profit. Our 
Lord illustrated this lesson by His example. He 
admonished His offender with gentle charity, and 
by His subsequent sufferings and death He showed 
how ready He was to endure additional insults and 
torments, even unto the death of the cross. Let us 
follow in practice this admirable model. But, be- 
cause to our weak nature this effort will be found 
difficult, let us implore the assistance of His holy 
grace. 



Prayer. 

Most meek and amiable Redeemer ! Thou didst 
allow Thy most holy hands to be bound in order to 
make me free, and to bestow more abundant graces 
upon my soul. I devoutly kiss, with my heart up- 
[ on my lips, these precious manacles, the more dear 
to me, because more closely pressed round Thy 
sacred wrists. Deliver me, dear Jesus ! from the hot 
bond of anger and passion, that in Thy imitation I 
may bear injuries and affronts with meekness and 
charity. Thou didst endure with perfect calmness 
the public insult of a severe blow upon Thy divine 



1 68 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

face : grant me the grace to bear with Christian 
patience whatever injuries I may have to suffer from 
the malice or thoughtlessness of men. 

Most holy Virgin ! obtain for me from your divine 
Son the grace of fortitude in bearing with meek 
resignation the trials of this life of exile, that I may 
enjoy in heaven the sweet fruits of Christian 
patience. 



Jesus is Led before Caiphas. 



169 



IX. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS IS LED BEFORE THE HIGH PONTIFF CAIPHAS. 

Voice of Jesus. 

From the house of Annas I was hurried to the 
tribunal of Caiphas, where the high ecclesiastical 
court had been hastily gathered for my trial and 
condemnation. Their resolution had already been 
formed. My condemnation had been determined 
upon. Only a sham trial was intended, in order to 
give an appearance of justice to their proceedings, 
to mislead public opinion, and aggravate my humili- 
ation and infamy. Venal witnesses had, in antici- 
pation, been suborned against me. I was falsely 
accused of different crimes, which I could have easily 
confuted, because I was innocent, and because the 
various witnesses fell into evident contradictions, 
one against the other. But I chose to preserve a 
profound silence. 

The high pontiff Caiphas perceived that his pre- 
concerted plan was a failure. Wishing to hide his 
disappointment, he stood up, with affected dignity, 
clad in his pontifical robe. He gave me a serious 
look, hoping to overawe me. He then, with grave 
solemnity, addressed the following words to me: 
"/ adjure thee by the living God to tell us, if thou be 
the Christ, the Son of God." I knew that my words 
would not be believed. I foresaw that, by confess- 
ing the truth, I would be condemned to death as a 
blasphemous impostor ; but out of respect for the 
sacred name of my Father, and to teach my dis- 
ciples, by my example, to prefer death to perjury, 
or to the denial of their faith, I answered : " Thou 
hast said it, I am the Son of God. And you shall 
see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of God, 



170 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



and coming in the clouds of heaven'' At these words, 
prejudice and passion made the supreme pontiff 
forget the decorum due to his high dignity, and the 
prohibition of never tearing his pontifical robe. 
(Lev. xxi, 10.) Caiphas, in an excited manner, rent 
his garments, and with a loud voice exclaimed: "He 
hath blasphemed : what further need have we of wit- 
nesses ? Behold now you have heard the blasphemy, 
what think you f" All answered that I " was guilty 
of death" 

Consider, my child, the iniquitous sentence pro- 
nounced against me, and the nefarious conduct of 
the court which condemns innocence to death, and 
brands truth with the infamy of blasphemy. Reflect 
that my first answer before the high-priest Annas 
was chastised with a violent blow upon my face, 
and my second answer before the supreme pontiff 
Caiphas was punished with death. It is in this 
manner that wicked and impious men treat my 
words of eternal truth and life. 



L Consider how eloquent was the silence of 
Jesus. . He preserves silence, to give us an example 
of humility, meekness and patience. It is difficult 
to remain silent when we are falsely accused. But 
under such painful aggravations a meek and humble 
reticence is requisite to maintain peace of mind, 
recollection of spirit, and the calm tranquillity of 
our heart. Through this virtuous silence we edify 
the good, confound the malice of the wicked, imitate 
the example of Jesus, and the admirable forbearance 
of God, who, being daily and hourly offended by 
sinners in a thousand different ways, yet observes 
the most profound silence. The calm dignity of 
meekness is the most convincing proof of virtuous 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 



First Point. 




Practical Reflections. 



171 



innocence. Silence is an evidence of strength of 
mind, and the best manifestation of our confidence in 
God's enduring protection, whose hand is more 
powerful than our words. " Thus saith the Lord God : 
If you be quiet, you shall be saved. In silence and in 
hope shall your strength be." (Isa. xxx, 15.) 

II. Learn, therefore, devout Christian, this sublime 
virtue, of which Jesus gives you so glorious an ex- 
ample. Learn from Him to refute calumny, and 
overcome insults and persecutions through a gentle 
silence, infused into your soul by the love of God 
and of your neighbor. Put your confidence in 
God, and await for his infallible protection in pro- 
found peace and recollection, — in silentio et spe. 
" For it is good to await in silence for the salvation of 
God." (Lam. iii, 26.) 

Lastly learn how sadly mistaken those persons 
are, who, having received some injury, which often 
their self-love and self-esteem greatly exaggerate, 
waste precious hours of day and night in vain at- 
tempts to justify their honor. True Christian honor 
is only acquired by virtue, and virtue is generated 
by humility, and nurtured by silent patience. A few 
hours of humiliation, endured in loving imitation of 
the meek Lamb of God, bring more peace to the 
heart, more merit to the soul, and more real honor 
to a Christian man, than months and years spent 
in restless efforts in search of human approbation 
and honor. 



Second Point. 

We must acknowledge, however, that there are 
circumstances wherein it is not only allowed, but 
we may be obliged, to speak in our justification, 
through necessity, obedience, or charity. We should 
learn from the example of our divine Master how 
to behave on such occasions. Consider attentively 
the motives which induced our Saviour to speak. 



172 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



In the first place, Jesus spoke to uphold the honor 
of God in whose name He had by the supreme 
pontiff been interrogated, " whether he was the 
Christ, the Son of God." In the second place, Jesus 
answered to sustain the truth of His divine mission 
to mankind. In the third place, He spoke through 
obedience to Caiphas, wishing to give a public 
proof of the respect due to all legitimate authority, 
but especially to persons in ecclesiastical dignity. 
In the fourth place, our Lord is moved to speak 
through charity towards His enemies, being anxious 
to admonish them in due time of the imminent 
danger in which they were of officially rejecting their 
Saviour from themselves, and from their nation, 
whose representatives they were. He warns them 
of the terrible punishment, which would be inflicted 
on their proud and stubborn obstinacy, when they, 
iniquitous judges, should be summoned to appear 
before His divine tribunal on the day of universal 
judgment You shall see the Son of man sitting 
on the right hand of God, and coming in the clouds." 

Finally, our Lord, on this solemn occasion, spoke 
with admirable simplicity, meekness and modesty, 
but also with firmness and dignity. Christian soul ! 
in your divine Master you have the most perfect 
model for imitation, both in His silence and in His 
words. Copy Him faithfully, and you will be 
honored in time and eternity. 



Third Point. 

I. Consider that the temporary success of the 
wicked becomes generally the proximate occasion 
of their severest punishment. The supreme pontiff 
Caiphas and the Jewish high-priests easily suc- 
ceeded in finding venal witnesses, willing to perjure 
themselves in order to calumniate truth and virtue 
in the divine person of the incarnate Son of God. 
But the malice of men can only effect as much as 



Practical Reflections, 



173 



God is disposed to permit them, and no more. By 
their discordant and contradictory statements those 
nefarious witnesses, instead of proving the pretended 
guilt of Jesus, render the evidence of His innocence 
more clear and public. But, in spite of this, the 
iniquitous judges, abusing their power, condemn 
our divine Saviour to death as a blasphemer. They 
pretend to vindicate the honor of God, whilst they 
commit the most atrocious crime by condemning 
his divine and coeternal Son to the cruel and in- 
famous death of the cross. 

II. Reflect, however, that the supposed triumph 
of these impious and wicked men is soon turned by 
God into their most complete and overwhelming 
defeat. In three short days Jesus will rise to im- 
mortal glory. His adorable name will be in a few 
years preached to, and worshipped by, all nations, 
and His kingdom will be established over the whole 
world to the end of time, and last forever in the 
glory of heaven. His judges are already summoned 
to appear before His divine tribunal to receive the 
sentence of their eternal reprobation. The Jewish 
priesthood is completely and forever abolished by 
the very fact of Jesus' condemnation. The Jewish 
nation is blotted out from the map of the earth. 
Thus the death of Jesus as man is the beginning of 
His glorious immortality, and the cause of the 
eternal life of His elect ; whilst the empire of Satan 
and sin receives the deadly blow of death and 
destruction. Behold how God can turn the malice 
and efforts of the wicked to the execution of His 
merciful designs, and to the promotion of His glory. 

III. Christian soul ! the synagogue of modern 
impiety and human power is at this present moment 
persecuting Jesus Christ in the venerable head and 
most noble members of His holy Church. They 
have conspired against her life, they have suborned 
false witnesses, they have condemned her to a speedy 
death. But in their common efforts directed against 
the destruction of Catholic Christianity, we see, 



174 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



through faith, her most certain and more imminent 
universal triumph, followed by the inevitable humil- 
iation and overthrow of her proud and malicious 
persecutors. The more violent the storm, the 
greater is the vigilance of the divine pilot over St. 
Peter's bark. Jesus Christ is always victorious 
against His enemies. " In the world" He says, "you 
shall have distress ; but have confidence, I have overcome 
the world." (John, xvi, 33.) 

The present condition of the Church seems/ in a 
remarkable manner, to correspond to the position of 
her divine Founder and Spouse before the different 
tribunals in the city of Jerusalem. Jews and Gentiles, 
kings and emperors, ecclesiastical apostates, and 
blasphemous infidels, traitors and perjurers, secret 
societies, and hypocritical Pharisees, scribes of the 
press, and false prophets of the synagogue, all have 
combined against God and His Christ. Observe, 
however, in a more special manner, how ambitious 
politicians, and cunning lawyers, judges and mag- 
istrates agree in persecuting and condemning Jesus 
Christ and His holy Church. Take notice that, as 
Jesus Christ was a captive in Jerusalem, the capital 
city of Judea ; so His venerable and holy Vicar is 
at present a prisoner in Rome, the capital of the 
Christian world. In Jerusalem crowds of ungrateful 
Jews, excited by impious leaders, shout aloud, " Give 
us Barabbas, let Jesus be crucified, we will have no 
other king but Ccesar ; " such are also in Rome the 
clamors raised against the Pontiff King by cor- 
rupted mobs, instigated by infidel and sacrilegious 
usurpers. The disciples and apostles of our Lord 
have cowardly abandoned their divine Master and 
Benefactor. No one is found to utter a word in 
His praise, or move a hand in His defence. Holy 
Vicar of Christ ! you are like your divine Master, 
in your humiliations and persecutions, sufferings 



Christ has prayed for you ; your glorious resurrec- 
tion is at hand. "The wicked man impudently 




But you fear not, because Jesus 



Practical Reflections. 



*75 



hardened his face. . . . But there is no wisdom, 
there is no prudence, there is no counsel against the 
Lord" (Prov. xxi, 29.) 

Our Lord Jesus Christ summoned His iniquitous 
judges to the bar of His divine tribunal. After a 
few years of wretched life all had to appear before 
Him from whom they received the sentence of their 
eternal doom. They shall have to appear again 011 
the day of general judgment, and they shall be 
found at His left hand among all the wicked per- 
secutors of His holy Church. " You shall see the 
Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power 
of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven." His 
holy Vicar has mercifully announced impending 
punishments against all those who persecute the 
Church, and have usurped her patrimony. They 
shall not enjoy much longer their usurped or abused 
power and apparent triumph. They shall soon be 
made an example to an astonished world of how 
God punishes those who persecute His Church, 
and His anointed Vicar upon earth. Let all sin- 
ners tremble and prepare for judgment. Let the 
just rejoice and expect the crown of victory. 



Prayer. 

My adorable Jesus! I admire the excess of Thy 
love for me. In order to secure to me, wretched 
sinner, a favorable judgment, Thou hast, O merci- 
ful Redeemer! condescended to undergo humiliating 
trials before iniquitous judges, and to endure that 
condemnation and death which I deserved on ac- 
count of my sins. Thou wishest to be judged and 
condemned, that I may be absolved and saved. A 
day will come, and very soon, when I shall have to 
appear before Thy divine tribunal to hear the sen- 
tence of my eternal doom. I am determined to 
make use of the precious time and opportunities 
granted me by Thy mercy to prepare my soul for 



176 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



that awful trial. I will judge myself to avoid Thy 
judgment ; I will confess my sins to obtain Thy 
pardon ; I condemn myself to a life of penance to 
deserve being received in the happy number of Thy 
elect. " Thou, who wast moved with Marys grief, 
and, by absolving of the thief, hast given me hope, give, 
now, relief y 

Mother of Jesus and Mother of mercy ! obtain 
for me great devotion to the humiliations and suf- 
ferings of your divine Son during life, that in death 
I may deserve to hear from Him the favorable sen- 
tence of the elect to everlasting glory. 



Christ is Blindfolded and Struck. 177 



X. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS CHRIST IS BLINDFOLDED, DERIDED AND 
STRUCK. 

Voice of Jesus. 

A poor criminal sentenced to death always meets 
with some compassion and sympathy from persons 
who have not entirely lost all feelings of humanity. 
They speak to him with kind words, they encourage 
him to bear his trial, they offer him comfort and 
refreshment. But the case was very different with 
me. My enemies acted with me as if all sentiments 
of humanity had been completely extinguished in 
their hearts. As soon as the Jewish council had 
decreed my death, and the sentence was pronounced 
by the high pontiff Caiphas, I was entirely abandoned 
to the cruelty of my captors. The judges and 
Jewish priests hastily retired to their homes, for it 
was very late in the night. I was roughly dragged 
into the entrance hall, which was turned into my 
temporary prison, until early in the morning. The 
servants of the high-priests and a number of soldiers 
were in the same place warming themselves at the 
fire, for the night was dark and cold. The physical 
atmosphere corresponded with the moral disposi- 
tions of men towards me. In the hall I found also 
my apostle Peter. I was kept in this place, bound 
like a malefactor condemned to capital punishment. 
No compassion was shown to me. On the contrary, 
all those men vied with one another in heaping up- 
on me every insult and ill-treatment which their 
malice, instigated by demons, could invent. Some 
buffeted me, others spat upon my face. They 
vented upon me the most opprobrious epithets. 
Some pushed me violently in one direction, and 



178 The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 

some to another. I fell down upon the hard stone 
floor, and they brutally kicked me. "/ have given 
my body to the strikers, and my cheeks to them that 
plucked them, I have not turned aivay my face from 
them that rebtiked me and spit upon me." (Isa. 1, 6.) 
This prophecy of my holy servant Isaias concern- 
ing me, was fully verified on that awful night. . . . 
Tears of pain, but more of compassion for my perse- 
cutors, filled my eyes. My patience and silence 
maddened their fury. They blindfolded my face; 
then striking me severely, they asked me in mockery, 
saying : " Prophesy, O Christ, who is he that struck 
thee" (Matt, xxvi, 68.) Wretched criminals con- 
demned to death may in pity be blindfolded to spare 
them the painful sight of the instruments of torture, 
and the place of execution ; but it has never been 
known among civilized people, that they were blind- 
folded in malice to insult and torment them more 
freely. Ah ! my child, I had during several hours of 
that gloomy night to endure this new humiliation, 
and many more outrages, in order to atone for the 
wilful blindness of sinners, who insult my divine 
Majesty, always present to them, when they indulge 
their wicked passions, and violate my law. My im- 
mensity fills every place, and I behold every sin 
committed against me. Let all sinners reflect seri- 
ously upon this truth, and understand the affront 
they offer to my divine Majesty, every time they 
offend me with their crimes. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider the many humiliations and outrages 
that our Lord Jesus Christ had to endure from His 
barbarous enemies in Caiphas' hall during several 
hours of that memorable night. Reflect that our 
divine Saviour subjected Himself to all these affronts 



Practical Reflections. 



179 



for our sake and for our instruction. The time of 
night was intended by God for repose, meditation 
and prayer. But it has been turned by wicked men 
into an occasion of revelry, dissipation and crime. 
Their evil deeds make them prefer darkness to light, 
and thus, according to the expression of holy David : 
u Thou hast appointed darkness, and it is night: in it 
shall all the beasts of the woods go about." (Ps. ciii, 
20.) The beasts of the woods are figures of sinners. 
Sin being the most complete moral disorder, it de- 
ranges time and seasons. Sin is the spiritual dark- 
ness of the soul ; hence, it is generated, nursed, and 
thrives in gloom. Sin is the most horrible monster, 
but its deformity is concealed under the thick veil 
of darkness. There is infamy in crime, hence it is 
hidden behind the curtain of night. As the day of 
judgment only will be able to manifest to mankind 
the outrages endured by our divine Saviour during 
the night of His passion, so the divine sun of justice 
only will on that terrible day be able to bring to 
light the hidden crimes of men committed in dark- 
ness. Remember, Christian soul, that darkness is 
the natural atmosphere of demons, and that good 
angels live, breathe, and act in light. Our Lord 
says: "I am the light of the world: he that followeth 
me walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light 
of life \" (John viii, 12.) 

II. With the help of this heavenly light consider 
attentively the insults and humiliations endured by 
our divine Saviour during that gloomy night of His 
passion. His enemies spat upon His face, blindfolded 
His eyes, struck Him, and mocked His wisdom, by 
asking Him to prophesy and tell who was the 
striker. . . . Oh ! how the angels of heaven must 
have been astonished and grieved in beholding their 
divine Lord and king subjected to so many infamous 
outrages ! Let us compassionate our Saviour, and 
learn from Him to bear humiliations and insults with 
Christian meekness and patience, "and in our patience 
to possess our souls. 1 ' (Luke, xxi, 19.) Reflect that 



180 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

" the disciple is not above the master, nor the servant 
above his lord. . . . If they have called the master of 
the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his house- 
hold?" (Matt, x, 25.) True Christians should learn 
principles of honor from the maxims of the Gospel, 
and, above all, from the example of Jesus. The 
maxims of the world and the conduct of worldly 
men are in opposition to both. The world honors 
revenge. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, limb for limb, 
life for life. But our divine Master says : " / say to 
you not to resist eviL . . . Love your enemies ; do good 
to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute 
and calumniate you" (Matt, v, 44.) 

We shall have to do violence to our corrupt 
nature in order to follow in practice these Christian 
doctrines. Let us, then, beseech our Lord Jesus 
Christ, through the merits of His humiliations 
and sufferings, to grant us the spirit of humility, 
patience and charity in bearing insults and out- 
rages from our enemies. 



Second Point. 

I. Consider that, according to St. Augustine, 
Christian sinners renew against Jesus the contumely 
of blindfolding His divine eyes when, to sin more 
freely, they banish from their mind the remem- 
brance of God's holy presence. You have done the 
same. Had you seriously reflected that God was 
present to you, you could not have been so bold as 
to offend Him by committing sin under the most 
pure eyes of His divine Majesty. You forgot Him. 
But your malicious forgetfulness could not banish 
from you the immensity of God. God is every- 
where. God is with us by day and by night, when 
alone, or in company with others. He beholds our 
actions ; He listens to our words ; He penetrates the 
most secret thoughts of our mind. God knows all the 
affections, intentions, and desires of our heart. He 



Practical Reflections. 



181 



knows everything, for we can hide nothing from 
Him. "In God we live, in God we move % in him we 
have our very being" St. Paul says. (Acts, xvii, 28.) 
O Christian soul ! make frequent use of these re- 
flections. They will not only prevent you from 
yielding to temptation and sin, but they will become 
the most efficacious motives for the practice of all 
virtues, and for the rapid acquisition of the highest 
perfection. It was for this reason that God said to 
His faithful servant, Abraham : " Walk before me and 
be thou perfect y (Gen. xvii, 1.) 

II. The habitual practice of the presence of God 
is in reality the actual acquisition and possession of 
perfection. It is to see God in every person, to seek 
God in everything, to enjoy God at every time. It 
is to emulate upon earth the permanent occupation 
of the holy angels and blessed saints of heaven. In 
short, it is heaven upon earth. It is God living in 
our soul. It is in this sense that St. Paul said, u Our 
conversation is in heaven!' (Phil, iii, 20.) 

From this holy and loving union with God the 
soul receives such bright light, that the least infidel- 
ity to the inspirations of grace, the smallest fault, 
causes her intense grief and pain. Lukewarm souls 
cannot understand these admirable effects; hence, 
they deem and call them scruples. The more this 
happy union with God becomes intimate and habit- 
ual, the more the soul finds herself detached from 
creatures, and enjoys the liberty of God's children. 
Like a bird set free from the cage, she soars up, 
and swiftly flies into the immensity of God's love. 
This is the highest honor and the purest happiness 
that a Christian soul may wish to enjoy during life 
upon earth. 

Christian soul ! meditate upon these consoling 
truths. Dive deeply into them. Appreciate their 
import. By constant practice make them habitual 
to you. Walk always in the presence of God. See 
God in all creation. Behold God in the sun, moon, 
stars, heaven, earth, sky, and sea, men and animals, 



1 82 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

fishes and birds ; study their language : all speak to 
you of God. But God is not far from us. "For the 
kingdom of God is within you." (Luke, xvii, 21.) 
" Know you not that you are the temple of God, and the 
spirit of God dwelleth in you ? " (i Cor. iii, 16.) 

Third Point. 

I. Consider that every true Christian, in entering 
a Catholic church, should in a special manner re- 
vive his faith in the Real Presence of our Lord in 
the sacrament of the altar. We should assist at 
the august sacrifice of the mass, benediction, and 
every sacred function of our holy religion, with pro- 
found recollection and devotion. This is more 
strictly the duty of all those who are in any way 
connected with the holy services of the church 
about the altar or choir. Those who sing the 
praises of God should remember that the Lord of 
lords and King of kings is present on the altar, 
listening to their voices, and looking at the disposi- 
tions of their minds and hearts. Christian singers in 
this angelic office should behave in such pious man- 
ner as not to deserve the reproach which the Lord 
gave to the Jews when He said : " This people draw 
near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify 
me, but their heart is far from me." (Isa. xxix, 13.) 

II. The more our divine Saviour hides His divine 
Majesty behind the mystic veil of the sacrament, 
the more He deserves to be honored and worshipped 
by Christian faith. When Moses, for the sake of his 
people, hid the reflected splendors of the Divinity 
with a veil, he deserved from them no less respect 
for his humble and affectionate condescension to 
their weakness. Jesus Christ hidden in the sacra- 
ment of the altar has not diminished the greatness 
of His divine Majesty, but has increased His right 
to our deeper adoration and love. He has hidden 
His glory, that we may manifest Him by our faith. 



Practical Reflections. 



183 



Jesus has humbled His Majesty, that we may honor 
Him through the devotion of our worship. He 
has concealed the precious gift within the white 
envelope of the sacrament, that we Christians may 
love more exclusively the divine giver. "Verily, O 
Jesus, thou art a hidden God, the God of Israel, the 
Saviour." (Isa. xlv, 15.) Woe to us if, like the 
Jews in Caiphas' hall, we more boldly insult Him 
in His mysterious concealment. Jesus is hidden, 
but not absent. The white bandage of the Eu- 
charist cannot prevent His divine and glorified eyes 
from beholding both our exterior behavior and our 
internal dispositions. "There is no creature invisible 
. in his sight ; but all things are naked and open to the 
eyes of him, who is a discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart." (Heb. iv, 13.) In His admi- 
rable concealment in the blessed sacrament, we 
should not experience less awe towards our divine 
Lord, than if we had been present at His glorious 
transfiguration on Mount Thabor, or than we shall 
have to feel and show to Him when He will appear 
with great majesty on the day of universal judgment. 

III. Christian soul, who readest these lines, in- 
crease your faith and veneration for your divine Lord 
and Saviour, in proportion as He humbles and hides 
Himself more for your sake in the blessed sacra- 
ment. Honor Him more, in proportion as He is 
more dishonored by the coldness and irreverences 
of men. Had you been present when our Lord 
was blindfolded, derided and buffeted by His 
enemies in the hall of Caiphas, your faith and devo- 
tion would have induced you to atone for these 
insults by your profound homages and adorations. 
At the sight of so many unbelievers in the Real 
Presence, of so many cold and irreverent Chris- 
tians, let your devotion atone for their impiety 
and neglect. Pay frequent visits to our Lord, and 
prolong your acts of homage the more as you shall 
find His sacred tabernacle more forgotten by an 
ungrateful world. Console the afflicted Heart of 



184 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

Jesus by fervent acts of love. Offer to Him all the 
acts of adoration of the angels and saints, and 
especially of His most holy Mother. Unite your- 
self in spirit to the homages of all pious Christian 
souls upon earth, and use all your influence in mul- 
tiplying visitors and adorers of Jesus in the blessed 
sacrament. In case you had to suffer some rebuke 
or insult for His sake, draw the veil of charity upon 
your own eyes not to think or reflect upon the 
conduct of your neighbor, and forgive him as your 
divine Lord and Master forgave those who blind- 
folded and struck Him in Caiphas' hall. In this 
manner you will adore Him in spirit and in truth, 
and will draw upon your soul His choicest gifts and 
blessings. Ask this grace from your divine Saviour. 



Prayer. 

Divine Jesus, the most beautiful of the sons of men, 
the brightness of eternal light, the unspotted mirror 
of God's majesty, the image of His goodness, 
splendor of His glory, figure of His substance ! * 
it is only the malicious blindness of sinners that 
could dare to blindfold Thy adorable face. Whilst 
I profoundly adore Thy hidden majesty, I am filled 
with compunction and sorrow at my own conduct- 
Through the light of Thy divine grace, I perceive, 
O merciful Jesus ! that I attempted to throw a black 
veil over Thy face every time I rejected Thy holy 
inspirations. For these are nothing less than the 
manifestation of Thy divine beauty and goodness 
to my soul. By showing to me the heavenly splen- 
dors of Thy countenance, Thou desirest to with- 
draw my attention and affections from creatures, 
and draw them to Thyself. But my sinful attachment 
to them made me throw the rag of my refusal upon 
Thy face, that I might not be disturbed by Thy 



* (Wisd. vii, 26; Heb. i ; 3.) 



Practical Reflections. 



looks in the gratification of my criminal passions. 
Sweet Jesus! I am ashamed of these disgraceful 
insults which I have repeatedly offered to Thy 
divine Majesty: I most humbly crave Thy pardon. 
Thv mercy in bearing with me so long and so 
patiently gives me a firm hope in Thy forgiveness. 
I am resolved to amend my life. I will pay attention 
to Thy holy inspirations, and promise to be obedient 
in future to the calls of Thy divine grace. The first 
and principal favor I ask of Thy goodness is, that I 
may continually walk in Thy holy presence through 
faith and love during life, in order that I may 
deserve to behold, praise, and glorify Thee with 
the Father and the Holy Ghost during a blessed 
eternity. 

Most holy Mother of Jesus ! grant to me and to 
all thy devout clients the petition which thy pious 
children daily offer to thy maternal heart when they 
say : " After this exile show unto us the blessed 
fruit of thy womb, Jesus." Grant that, imitating 
thy example, I may have God always with me, as 
the Lord is with thee, and may have Jesus constantly 
in my heart and before my eyes, so that I may like 
thee live and die in His happy company. Amen. 



1 86 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XL CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS IS DENIED THREE TIMES BY PETER, 

Voice of Jesus. 

As the bright light and genial warmth of day is 
a specimen of the joys of heaven ; so the gloom 
and damp coldness of night is a figure of the horrors 
of hell. Many of my faithful servants have much 
to suffer during the darkness of night, because the 
demons choose it to wreak their hatred against them. 
For this reason, during the whole night of my pas- 
sion all manner of insults and afflictions were heaped 
upon me. The most painful of all to my heart was 
the thrice-repeated denial of my apostle Peter. I 
had selected him as the head of my apostles and of 
my whole Church. I had repeatedly given him 
special marks of my confidence and predilection. I 
warned him of the danger. He had warmly and 
strongly protested that, rather than deny me, he 
would go with me to prison and to death. With 
this intention, Peter followed me to the hall of Cai- 
phas. But he did not venture to accompany me 
into the judgment-court, where I was tried and 
condemned. Peter remained in the entrance hall, 
sitting down with the crowd of dissipated and in- 
solent servants of the Jewish priests. Here he was 
noticed by a bold servant-girl, who accused him of 
being one of my disciples. Her words attracted 
the attention of all by-standers. All fixed their eyes 
upon Peter. He was alarmed, forgot his promise, 
and denied having any knowledge of me. Almost 
immediately after this denial, according to my 
warning, the cock crew. After a little while an- 
other servant-maid, seeing Peter, insisted before 



Jesus thrice Denied by Peter. 



187 



the crowd, that he was one of my disciples.* This 
second time Peter not only denied me, but confirmed 
his first and present denial by an oath that he knew 
me not. In these unhappy dispositions Peter re- 
mained for about an hour, when a kinsman of Mal- 
chus, who had taken a special notice of him in the 
Garden of Gethsemani, when my apostle cut off the 
ear of the latter, and who were both near relatives 
of the supreme pontiff Caiphas, accused him in the 
presence of all of being- my disciple. Peter warmly 
attempted to defend his denial, and in so doing he 
gave occasion to all of remarking his Galilean 
accent. This was promptly seized as a confirmation 
of the charge brought against him for the third 
time. Peter became both alarmed and excited. 
He not only denied me again, " but he began to curse 
and swear that he knew me not" Immediately after 
this the cock crew aloud the second time. 

Peter heard this voice of warning. His con- 
science was deeply agitated. But he was not con- 
verted. A stronger and more efficacious grace was 
necessary to change and convert his heart. I was 
in the same hall, and not far from my wretched 
apostle. Most ardently I desired his repentance. 
But charity and prudence prevented me from 
speaking to him, for, had I done so, he would have 



* In order to reconcile the four Evangelists, observe that divers persons 
concurred in charging Peter with being Christ's disciple; till at length 
they brought him to deny thrice his divine Master. 1st. The portress that 
let him in, and who, afterwards seeing him at the fire, put first the ques- 
tion' to him, and then positively affirmed that he was with Christ. 2d. 
Another servant-maid accused Peter to the by-standers, and gave occa- 
sion to him for his second and more aggravated denial. 3d, and 
lastly, during the course of conversation with Peter, several persons of 
the company in the hall took notice from his accent that he was a Gal- 
ilean, and from this fact they concluded that he was a disciple of Jesus 
Christ. In this opinion they were confirmed by a kinsman of Malchus, 
whose ear Peter had cut off. This man insisted that he had seen him 
in the garden with Jesus. This drew the third and worse denial of 
Peter. Hence Peter fell twice through the bold impertinence of two 
female seivants. These were the only two females who caused any 
anguish to our Saviour's heart during His passion. (See note, Douay 
Bible, Luke xxii, 59.) 



1 88 



The Voice of Jesus Siiffering. 



been disgraced before all as guilty of perjury ; be- 
cause all would have perceived that Iknew him, 
and that, in spite of his three denials, he was in 
reality my disciple. Not to expose him to this pub- 
lic infamy, I was forced to avoid giving him any 
sign of recognition that could be observed by any 
of the persons in the hall. This circumstance was 
more painful to my heart, and more dangerous for 
Peter, than the treason of Judas. Because Judas, 
through the very nature of his treason, threw himself 
into my arms, and I immediately made use of this 
favorable opportunity to attempt his conversion by 
reminding him of his crime, and inviting him to re- 
pentance. But the nature of Peter's denial deprived 
me and him of that advantage. I remained in pro- 
found recollection for some little time. I kept my 
eyes cast down. I fervently prayed for Peter. He 
felt very unhappy. His interior anguish was 
momentarily increasing. I knew that he gave me 
several shy and timid glances, which I did not re- 
turn. This increased his agitation and interior 
trouble. Peter began to fear that I would reject 
and abandon him. At last, taking a favorable oppor- 
tunity, I gave him such a look of reproach and com- 
passion, that it penetrated to the depth of his soul.* 

* Some Fathers of the Church suppose that the look of our divine 
Saviour to Peter is to be understood morally, namely a look of His 
divine mercy, as when we say with holy David, " Look upon me, O Lord, 
and hear my prayer" — Respice et exaudi me, Domine. (Ps. xii, 4). They 
think that our Lord being before His judges in the court of jus- 
tice, He could not naturally see Peter, who remained in an adjoining 
room. Hence they conclude that His look could only be a spiritual 
ray of His merciful light and grace, as that which God gives to other 
sinners. Such is the opinion of St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, Beda, etc. 
But a larger number of the Fathers and sacred writers, with more rea- 
son, believe that our Lord Jesus Christ gave a real and physical glance 
at Peter. Such is the opinion of Origen in his first treatise in St. 
Matthew; of Titian Ammonius in his Harmony of the Bible, Tom. 7; 
St. John Chrystom, Homily 86, in St. Matthew of Calmet, Comment, 
in St. Luke, xxii, 61 ; of Cornelius a Lapide in St. Matt, xxvi, 74. 
This is certainly the common opinion of the faithful; which seems to 
be supported by the holy Evangelist St. Luke, who says ; "The Lord 
turning, looked on Peter. And Peter remembered the words of the Lord, 
how He had said : Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And 



Jesus thrice Denied by Peter. 



He saw at once the enormity of his crime. His 
well-disposed heart was filled with sorrow. He 
immediately left the place and the occasion of his 
sins. He went out of the hall, shedding many bitter 
tears of repentance during all that dismal night. 
Early in the morning Peter went to see my afflicted 
Mother, acknowledged his crime, asked her prayers, 
and sought comfort and advice from her, who is 
justly styled the refuge of sinners. My hoi) 7 Mother 
received this repenting child with maternal love and 
tenderness, and gave him the most consoling assur- 
ances of my forgiveness. During his whole life 
Peter never forgot my look in Caiphas' hall. His 
repentance was sincere and lasting. I permitted his 
fall and procured his conversion, that he might learn 
to use always great compassion for poor sinners. 
I had advised him that, being once converted, he should 
use his authority arid charity in confirming his brethren. 
When asked by him how often he should forgive 
sinners, and whether seven times should be deemed 
sufficient, I answered: " I say not to thee, till seven 
times ; but till seventy times seven." (Matt, xviii, 22.) 
I had promised to this dear apostle the keys of 



Feter zvent out, and wept bitterly. And the men that held Jesus mocked 
him and struck him" (Luke, xxii, 61.) Observe here that St. Luke 
describes our Lord turning round, which should be understood physi- 
cally with His body, and then looked on Peter, which must have the 
same natural meaning in relation to His bodily eyes. Moreover, as 
Peter went out of the hall, the men are described by St. Luke as hold- 
ing our Lord, mocking and striking Him. This should be understood 
of the hall wherein Peter denied his Master. 

To comprehend this, it is necessary to reflect that after His trial and 
condemnation our Lord was taken out of the judgment-hall, and 
brought to the ante-room where Peter remained with the soldiers and 
with the servants of the Jewish priests. It was in this large room that 
he was kept as a prisoner and maltreated all that night, where Peter 
denied Him, and where He looked on Peter and converted him. 

In proof of this, a church was erected in Caiphas' house, which is 
called the Church of the Saviour. This church includes the hall where 
our Lord was kept prisoner — called the prison of Christ, and also near 
its door the place where the cock crew. 

See Book of Designs of the Churches and Images of the Holy Land, 
by Father Bernardino Amici da Gallipoli, Minor Observant, printed 
in Rome and Florence, 1620. 



190 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

the kingdom of heaven, which meant the supremacy 
of the spiritual ecclesiastical jurisdiction. I selected 
him as the visible head of my Church and my Vicar 
upon earth for the conversion and salvation of man- 
kind. I wished him to have a most tender com- 
passion for sinners. After his conversion, Peter 
faithfully corresponded with all my expectations, 
and he left this spirit of zeal and compassion as an 
inheritance to all his successors in Rome. In this 
conversion of Peter, I saw the first fruit of my 
passion. I wished through him to instruct all poor 
sinners to have confidence in my infinite goodness 
and mercy, and to convince them practically that 
my eyes of compassion will be turned to them at 
the most favorable opportunity for effecting their 
conversion, provided they would watch for it and 
be disposed to cooperate with my inspirations, and 
with the secret motions of my grace. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

Consider that the fall of Peter is intended as a 
salutary warning to all men. It is a practical proof 
of man's weakness. If not supported by God's 
special grace, we shall fall, when attacked by temp- 
tation. We should not trust in our past fervor and 
present good intentions, because, by so doing, we 
lean upon ourselves and not upon God. Let us be 
persuaded that, without God, we can do nothing. 
God has decreed that, to obtain the assistance of 
His grace, we should ask for it in prayer. Peter 
fell, because, trusting in his good resolutions, he 
neglected prayer. He in a special manner had been 
exhorted by his divine Master to pray. He had 
been warned by Him of the weakness of human 
nature, with these words, " The spirit is ready, but the 
flesh is zveak. Watch and pray' 1 In spite of these 



Practical Reflections. 



salutary and opportune admonitions, Peter gave 
himself up to drowsiness, neglected prayer, the 
temptation came, and he fell. When Peter falls, 
can you presume to stand ? You neither have the 
same praiseworthy record of your past life, nor the 
same actual good dispositions, and favorable circum- 
stances that Peter had : can you then presume on 
being more safe than he was? Remember that the 
spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak. Past experience 
should convince you that the flesh is weak. These 
words, the spirit is ready, may mean two things. 
In the first place, they may signify that you have 
made good resolutions in your mind. But Peter 
did the same, yet he fell. In the second place, the 
spirit is ready, may mean that the evil spirit, Satan, 
is always watchful and ready to tempt you, when 
you are least upon your guard. Emboldened by 
the weakness of your corrupt nature, he will succeed 
in effecting your ruin. Therefore watch and pray, 
lest you fall into temptation. 

Do not presume on your age, or long duration in 
the service of God, and much less on your dignity, 
if you are raised above others. Satan tempts more 
violently those who have served God longer, and 
are conspicuous for their virtue and position in 
society. Because this evil spirit knows that the fall 
of God's great servants is more deeply dishonorable 
to their Master, more grievously injurious to their 
souls, causes more scandal to their neighbors, and 
consequently is more difficult to repair. These evil 
effects are intensified, when the person falls from a 
high eminence. The higher the eminence, the more 
fatal the injury. Conclude from all this to have — 

I. A sincere and profound distrust of yourself. 
Reflect seriously that the flesh is weak. Man is 
flesh, and flesh is corruption. This is vile enough. 
We are so very weak that we cannot have a good 
thought, we cannot utter a useful word, we cannot 
perform a virtuous action, without a special assist- 
ance from God. St. Paul teaches this doctrine as 



192 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

an article of Christian belief. Do you really believe 
these sacred truths? If you do not, you have 
already fallen deep enough in the snares of the 
spirit of pride, and a deeper and more fatal abyss 
is yawning under your feet. If you believe these 
Christian maxims, show it practically by distrusting 
your own judgment in the affairs of your con- 
science, and of your eternal salvation. Do not 
consider yourself more wise than those who, by 
their age, experience, virtue, knowledge, or dignity, 
are by God intended to be your superiors and 
advisers. Remember that " pride goeth before de- 
struction , and the spirit is lifted up before a fall." 
(Prov. xvi, 18.) Fear your inconstancy in the prac- 
tice of virtue ; dread your innate inclination to evil ; 
be upon your guard against self-love, and self- 
conceit ; take alarm at the innumerable enemies of 
your soul by whom you are continually surrounded. 
You cannot escape their snares or withstand their 
assaults, except through a special grace and protec- 
tion of God. Therefore draw the second conclusion 
which is the — 

II. Absolute necessity of prayer. Learn this neces- 
sity of prayer from the repeated examples and com- 
mands of our divine Lord and Master, who said: 
Pray always without ceasing. Peter fell because he 
neglected prayer, and neglected prayer because he 
had too much confidence in his own strength and 
good resolutions. Learn, then, at his expense to be 
humble, and humility will teach you to pray. God 
will help those who have recourse to Him. Grace 
is obtained and preserved through prayer. If w r e 
neglect prayer, we reject God's grace. With 
fervent and persevering prayer, we can provide 
for all our wants. Prayer will bring light to our 
mind, strength to our will, life to our spirit, sanc- 
tification and salvation to our soul. As fuel nourishes 
fire and prevents its becoming extinguished, so 
prayer preserves the fervor of our spirit, and hinders 
our soul from falling into that dangerous state of 



Practical Reflections, 



193 



tepidity which is very difficult to cure, and which 
often leads to the commission of grievous crimes, 
and to final reprobation. 

III. The third lesson we have to learn from St. 
Peter's conversion is, the immediate and total flight 
from the occasion of sin. As soon as he was made 
sensible of his fall, Peter forthwith turned his back 
upon his tempters, and went away from the occasion 
of his sins. If you have followed Peter in his fall, 
imitate the example of his conversion. Flight from 
the occasion of sin will be the proof of the sincerity 
of your repentance. Remember the infallible words 
of the Holy Ghost : " He that loveth danger shall 
perish in it." (Ecclus. iii, 27.) 



Second Point. 

I. Consider the admirable charity of Jesus towards 
Peter. Peter had denied his Master, when He 
stood most in need of his fidelity. Peter heard the 
calumnies uttered against Jesus : he might and 
should have undertaken his defence. He saw Jesus 
insulted, buffeted, spat upon, blindfolded : he should 
have protested against these cruel barbarities. This 
was the opportunity for Peter to prove the sincerity 
of his promise of suffering imprisonment and death 
for the sake of his divine Master. But, instead of 
this, he denied Him three times, and one, at least, of 
these denials was in the immediate presence and 
within the hearing of the afflicted Son of God. Jesus 
had no more need of Peter than he had of Judas. 
He could have publicly exposed his cowardice and 
perjury, and abandoned him to his inevitable fate. 
But the heart of Jesus is full of compassion for poor 
sinners. He wills not their death, but their con- 
version. He promptly seizes every opportunity for 
obtaining their repentance.. Such was his conduct 
with Judas in the garden of Gethsemani, though his 
merciful efforts were frustrated by Judas' obstinacy. 

9 



■ 



194 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



II. With Peter, in Caiphas' hall, Jesus had to use j 
more caution and prudence, but His charity 
triumphed. Imagine you see Jesus and Peter j 
standing in the hall, and surrounded by their mali- J 
cious enemies. Observe the profound recollection 
of Jesus, and the nervous agitation of Peter. Jesus 
is praying for his conversion. He awaits for the 
most favorable opportunity, when, unobserved by • 
the crowd, He casts His loving eyes upon Peter, i 
who looks at Him at the same moment. He under- 
stands his Master's looks. Peter thoroughly com- 
prehends this silent voice of Jesus' heart. He reads 
in the eyes of his divine Master an expression of 
deep compassion, which moves his heart. He sees a 
look of tenderness that penetrates his soul ; a look 
of charity which covers the infamy of his perjury, 
and fully comprehends that Jesus, forgetful of His 
own sufferings, is only anxious for the conversion 
and salvation of His ever-beloved, though unfaith- 
ful, apostle. In these looks, in those eyes, like two 
bright mirrors of Jesus' soul, Peter discovers such 
depth and such intensity of divine goodness, love, 
and mercy, that his heart is filled with sorrow, but 
more replenished with hope, and from a great sin- 
ner, he becomes on the spot a most perfect model 
of a sincere penitent. The look of Jesus has en- 
tirely converted him. O Divine Jesus! the voice 
of creatures may reach our ears, but it is only the 
look of Thy mercy that can convert our soul. Turn, 
then, Thine eyes of compassion upon me and upon all 
sinners, and transform us all into perfect penitents, 
like Thy apostle Peter, the first precious fruit of 
Thy sacred passion. 



I. Consider, Christian soul, the conduct of Peter 
after his conversion. He immediately withdraws 
from the place and company which had been to him 



Third Point. 



Practical Reflections, 



195 



an occasion of sin. He sincerely repents, he sheds 
bitter tears, he perseveres in his penance to the end 
of his life. Take, then, the repentance of St. Peter 
as the most perfect model of a true penitent; and 
reflect on the following points : — 

First. The denial of Peter was a sin of surprise 
and weakness, but not of malicious premeditation, 
like the treason of Judas. Hence, Judas died in his 
sins, but Peter repented. Beware of all sins of 
premeditation. 

Second. The repentance of Peter was prompt. At 
the first look of his divine Master he is imme- 
diately converted. Christian sinner, "delay not to 
be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to 
day." (Ecclus. v, 8.) " To-day if you hear his voice, 
harden not your heart." (Ps. xciv, 8.) 

Third. The conversion of Peter was sincere. His 
heart was changed. He hated his sin, and wished 
to wash it away with his scalding tears. He can no 
longer bear the sight of the place w T here he fell ; he 
flies from his accomplices in crime, and heartily 
deplores the consequences of his fall. Reflect, 
Christian sinner, that conversion signifies a com- 
plete change. We should, after our conversion to 
God, hate what we loved, and love what we hated 
as sinners. This was the test given by St. Remegius 
to King Clovis of France at his conversion from 
idolatry. 

Fourth. St. Peters conversion was full of sorrow. 
He shed bitter tears, as the Gospel says. Sin is the 
poison of the soul, and must be pressed out of it by 
contrition, and flow through the eyes in tears. The 
internal grief of the soul is better expressed by the 
calm sadness of silent tears, than by the noise of 
words. St. Ambrose says : " Peter was sorry and 
wept, because as a weak man he had fallen. I do 
not read in the Gospel that he spoke, but I read that 
he wept. He shed many tears, but uttered not a 
word in self-justification. We should wipe away 
what we cannot justify. Tears without offending 



196 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



modesty, confess the guilt ; they do not ask for 
pardon, but they deserve it. I have found out the 
secret of Peter's silence. He did not wish to ag- 
gravate his crime by an over-eagerness to obtain 
immediate forgiveness. We should first grieve and 
weep for our sins before venturing to ask for their 
pardon." (S. Ambros. in cap. xxii, 62, Luke.) Re- 
flect seriously, Christian soul, on these admirable 
words of St. Ambrose. They are full of heavenly 
wisdom. Learn that true contrition consists more in 
silent grief, than in noisy words. Learn that secret 
tears for our sins are the most trusty witnesses of our 
repentance. Learn that the sincerity of our repent- 
ance is better demonstrated by the change of our 
conduct, and the effective abandonment of sin, than 
by loud protestations of sorrow. * Learn, above all, 
in imitation of St. Peter, rather to deserve, than to 
ask, pardon for your sins. Those who are over- 
anxious to obtain forgiveness, before they offer suf- 
ficient satisfaction to the offended Majesty of God, 
show by this fact that they undervalue the malice 
of sin. This profound sentence of St. Ambrose 
should be seriously pondered : " Our too hasty peti- 
tion for pardon aggravates before God the offence 
of our sins." Both confessors and penitents will 
do well to reflect upon these words of wisdom. We 
should not rely too much on those conversions that 
cost little labor and pain. Those sinners who are too 
easily converted, will very likely as easily relapse. 
We naturally attach little value to a work which 
requires no sacrifice to self-love and passion. Grieve 
and weep for your sins, then, before you dare to ask for 
their pardon. May the words of St. Ambrose, the 
example of St. Peter, and the conduct of all true 
penitents, serve as a salutary lesson for the conver- 
sion of all sinners. May effeminate souls learn to 
grieve in silence for their past sins, rather than to 
multiply complaints in different directions about 
their uncertainty of forgiveness. Such conduct is 
more the effect of spiritual pride and self-love than 



Practical Reflections. 



197 



of true sorrow and regret for having offended God. 
Learn from St. Peter to deserve pardon for your sins 
through the bitterness of your contrition, and God 
will infallibly forgive you. In fact, the very gift of 
contrition and sorrow for our sins is an actual 
proof of God's pardon. 

Fifth. Reflect that the repentance of St. Peter . 
was lasting. The remembrance of his denial was 
continually in his mind. It was a motive of perpet- 
ual sorrow to his heart. Every time St. Peter 
heard the cock crow, he shed bitter tears. He used 
every means in his power to atone for the insult 
offered by him to his divine Master. St. Clemeat 
the pope, as a witness, testifies that the penitential 
tears of St. Peter were so frequent, that they pro- 
duced two furrows on his pale and emaciated cheeks. 
These, however, were not tears of fear or despond- 
ency. Peter had received from his loving Master 
the most evident tokens and assurances of entire 
forgiveness. His tears were true marks of his love ; 
which we shall consider in the — 

Sixth and last place. St. Peter's love for Jesus was 
so great and so intense, that he could not think of 
his divine and most loving Master without shedding 
tears for having offended Him. But, as the thought 
of his Master was constantly in his mind, and his 
love for Him was daily increasing in his heart, so 
tears of affectionate sorrow were continually flowing 
from his eyes. True Christian penitents cannot 
speedily forget their past sins. Real humility will 
not allow it. Respect for God forbids this presump- 
tion. Justice demands satisfaction. A few hours 
of repentance cannot atone for years of sin. "As 
much as the sinner hath glorified himself, and hath been 
in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give unto him." 
(Apoc. xviii, 7.) For a sin of surprise and of a very 
short duration, St. Peter did penance and wept for 
the rest of his -life, during thirty-seven years. Let 
us humble ourselves, and be confounded at our lack 
of courage in doing penance for our sins. Through 



198 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

the intercession of St. Peter let us ask of Jesus the 
true spirit of contrition and penance. 



Prayer. 

Divine Jesus, I have basely denied Thee as often 
as I have grievously offended Thee by my sins. 
Every mortal sin is an insult to Thy divine Majesty, 
and a practical denial of Thy supreme dominion 
over me. I have offended Thee with less provoca- 
tion than Thy apostle Peter. He never offended 
Thee except on one occasion. But my sins surpass 
in number the hairs of my head. A thousand times 
have I deserved to be forever abandoned by Thy 
divine mercy into the hands of Thy inexorable 
justice. Thy loving heart, however, is full of com- 
passion for miserable sinners like myself. Thou 
hast cast many looks of the tenderest mercy towards 
my soul. Thou hast incited me to repentance by 
Thy loving inspirations, through the interior 
remorse of my guilty conscience, through pious 
books, through the voice of thy sacred minister, 
through the good example of my fellow-Christians, 
through the tragical death of obstinate sinners. Yet, 
I have not imitated the speedy repentance of Thy 
apostle Peter. I have remained obstinate in my 
sins during many years. Thy grace has at last 
partly triumphed ; but my repentance has been 
very imperfect. My sorrow and penance have not 
been adequate to the number and gravity of my 
sins. I have soon forgotten the heavy debts con- 
tracted with Thy divine justice, and lead a thought- 
less and easy life, as if 1 had no sin to atone for. 
This meditation, however, on the conversion of Thy 
apostle Peter has opened my eyes. His long 
penance and continual tears have filled my soul 
with shame and confusion at the false security in 
which I have been living. In imitation of Thy 
apostle Peter and of Thy holy servant David, my 



Practical Reflections, 



199 



iniquities and sins shall in future be kept always 
before my mind. I will remember them, that Thou 
mayest forget them. For Thou dost forget our 
sins, when we remember them with sorrow ; and 
Thou ceasest to punish, when we do penance. 
" Turn away, then, thy face from my sins, and blot 
out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart in me, O 
merciful God ! and renew a right spirit within my 
bowels. Cast me not away from thy face, and take 
not thy holy spirit of sorrow and pe?iance from 
me. . . . Strengthen me with a perfect spirit. I will 
teach the unjust thy ways, and the wicked whom I 
have scandalized, shall be converted to thee" Hear 
my prayer, merciful Jesus ! at the intercession of 
Thy holy servants, Peter and David. 

Most sorrowful Mother of Jesus, who didst shed so 
many bitter tears over my sins, whilst your divine 
Son washed them with His blood ! obtain for me 
the grace of true contrition, that, like Peter, I may 
bewail them to the end of my life. Amen. 



20O 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XII. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS IS LED BEFORE PILATE AND ACCUSED. 

Voice of Jesus. 

The dawn of the day of human redemption, so 
ardently desired by me, at last appeared. My ene- 
mies rejoiced, because they wished to satisfy their 
hatred against me. But their malice was used by 
me to forward the designs of my mercy. This day 
had been fixed from eternity for the redemption of 
mankind, through my crucifixion and death. On 
this day, man was to be reconciled with God 
through my divine blood. The earth was to be 
united with heaven. The gates of heaven, shut up 
by sin, were to be opened with the key of the cross. 
By order of Caiphas, the supreme pontiff, the high- 
priests, the doctors of the law, the scribes, and 
elders of the people, were very early summoned to 
the ecclesiastical court in the Sanhedrim. This was 
done in order to rectify the sentence of death pro- 
nounced against me on the previous night, which 
was invalid, because contrary to the Jewish laws, 
both on account of the time, and of the defect in 
the character required for such an assembly.* My 
enemies were so anxious to accelerate my death, that 
very early in the morning — sumino mane— they were 
found gathered in great numbers at the appointed 
place. This ecclesiastical court was about half a mile 
from the house of Caiphas.f Caiphas briefly stated 
to them the pressing object of their early meeting. 
They unanimously agreed on my condemnation to 
death. 



* See Benedict XIV. Ann. n. 223. 

t This place was called Gasith. The Sanhedrim, or public ecclesias- 
tical Jewish council, was held in it. 



Jesus Led before Pilate. 



201 



I was brought before this numerous assembly. 
The trial of the previous night was hastily repeated. 
I was again interrogated whether "I was the Christ, 
the Son of God" (Luke, xxii, 66.) Knowing well 
their fixed determination not to believe my words, 
I gave them to understand that their secret dispo- 
sitions were manifest to me : from which they should 
have concluded that I was God, because I could 
penetrate the inmost thoughts and secret designs 
of their hearts. After this salutary lesson, I openly 
declared again that "I was the Son of God, and that 
hereafter they should see me sitting at the right hand 
of the power of God." As I expected, they all shouted 
aloud that I was guilty of death, that no more 
witnesses were needed, that the trial was concluded, 
and I should die. The whole assembly stood up. 
I was closely bound with cords and manacles, and, 
in this painful and humiliating condition, I w 7 as 
hurried to the palace of the Roman governor, 
Pontius Pilate, who alone had then the right to 
confirm the sentence of death pronounced by the 
Sanhedrim.* 

Consider, my child, how deep was the ignominy 
which I had to endure, when bound like the worst 
of malefactors, surrounded by armed soldiers, fol- 
lowed by the high-priests, by the doctors of the 
law, and by the ancients of the people, through the 
crowded streets of Jerusalem, I was brought before 
a pagan governor, who had to pronounce capital 
sentence against the most dangerous culprits, guilty 
of the most atrocious crimes. This humiliating 
spectacle moved the heart even of the traitor Judas 
Forjudging from my condition that death was now 

* St. Matthew says : u They brought hwi bound, and delivered him to 
Pontius Pilate, the governor." (Matt, xxvii, 2.) St. Jerom esays : u Such 
was the custom of the Jews. After having condemned a person to death, 
they brought him bound before the highest judge." (Comment, in xxvii 
Matt.) Eusebius Emissenus adds : "The chief priests and ancients of 
the people delivered Jesus bound with chains to Pilate, wishing him to 
understand that our Lord was unworthy of pardon." (Comment, in St. 
Matt, xxvii.) 



202 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



for me the inevitable consequence of his treason, he 
repented of his crime, went before the high-priests 
and acknowledged having betrayed an innocent man. 
But these impious persons, instead of listening with 
kindness to Judas' sorrowful confession, and en- 
couraging his conversion, they, with harshness, 
plunged him more deeply into despair with these 
contemptuous words : u What is that to us ? Look 
thou to it." Scandalized and discouraged by this 
heartless conduct of the Jewish priests, Judas threw 
on the pavement of the temple the thirty pieces of 
silver,* went immediately outside of the city, and 
hung himself to a tree. Behold, my child, how the 
world and the devil treat their deluded followers, 
when these are, in consequence of their crimes, 
reduced to misery and despair. 

If Judas, instead of going to his false friends, had 
come to me and asked my pardon, I would most 
gladly have forgiven him. But, yielding to the evil 
spirit, he gave himself up to despair, and went away 
from me. 

Affectation for the observance of the law prevent- 
ed my enemies from entering the house of the Roman 
governor, when I was brought before him. In 
this particular instance, the Jewish priests and doc- 
tors of the law justified and confirmed the severity 
of my reproach against them, when I said : " Hypo- 
crites ! you strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." 
They scrupled entering the house of a pagan lest they 
should contract a legal stain, and be thus prevented 
from eating the passover, which was only my figure ; 
yet they had no remorse of conscience in condemn- 
ing me to a most unjust and cruel death. Oh ! 
how blind man is when deluded by prejudice and 
passion ! 



* Thirty sides of silver was the price fixed by God in Exodus 
(chapter xxi, v. 32) for a slave. A sicle of silver was a piece of money 
weighing about half an ounce. This was the price given to the unhappy 
traitor, Judas, as the reward of his treason. The eternal Son of God 
was sold, therefore, like the vilest slave. 



Jesus Led before Pilate. 



203 



Pilate, respecting their religious scruples, came out 
upon a balcony, and asked my persecutors what 
accusation they had to prefer against me. Having 
heard what they had to say, he reentered the house, 
came to me and began his examination. My answer 
appeared satisfactory to the governor. He was 
desirous of securing my acquittal. But I was more 
anxious for the salvation of men than for my deliver- 
ance from death. After having, in a few words, 
demonstrated my innocence, I resolved to keep a 
profound silence. Pilate urged me to speak, prom- 
ising a favorable sentence. But I preferred to give 
to all men an example of meekness and patience, and 
a practical proof that I had no fear of death. He 
was evidently struck and edified at my conduct. 
He conceived a great esteem for me. He was con- 
vinced of my innocence, and perceived that I was a 
calumniated victim of the envy and malice of my 
enemies. Pilate was resolved to deliver me from 
their hands. With this intention, he returned to 
the balcony, publicly declaring my innocence, and 
pleading for my acquittal. 

This unexpected turn in my favor excited the 
fury of my disappointed persecutors, who invented 
new calumnies against me. They accused me be- 
fore the governor of corrupting the people and 
exciting them against the Roman empire, of refusing 
to pay the tribute to Caesar, of my pretension to the 
kingdom of Judea, and of my attempts to make myself 
a king. Observe how my enemies change tactics 
according to circumstances. Before their own eccle 
siastical court I was accused of blasphemy agains 
God, and of disrespect against their religion and 
temple, but they uttered not a word about my sup- 
posed disposition to rebellion. Now, before the 
Roman governor, they accuse me of disloyalty and 
sedition. They knew the falsity of their accusations. 
But, with premeditated malice, my persecutors ad- 
apted their calumnies to the prejudices of the 
judges, in the hope of obtaining my condemnation. 



204 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Ah ! what wonder if my faithful servants have been, 
and are, at this present day, treated like me, their 
divine Master. 1 could, by well-known facts, have 
demonstrated my innocence of all these imputed 
crimes. Pilate was favorably disposed towards 
me, but I chose to observe a profound silence. 
Among the whole Jewish nation, so highly favored 
by me, not one single voice was raised in my behalf. 
The Roman governor declared me innocent. But 
human policy, and a due regard for the rights of 
oppressed justice, do not always agree. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider the false repentance of Judas. He 
was evidently sorry for his treason, he confessed his 
crime, proclaimed the innocence of his divine Master, 
made restitution of his ill-gotten money, but his end 
was very wretched. He fell into despair, and com- 
mitted suicide by hanging. Upon this subject St. 
Leo, the Pope, remarks that " Judas, according to 
the prophecy of holy David, was so perverse even 
in the attempt of his conversion, that his prayer 
became sinful, and his penance, by hanging, was 
turned into a fatal crime." (Serm. 25, de Pass.) 

The most serious defect in the repentance of 
Judas was lack of confidence in God's mercy, and 
his consequent refusal to ask the pardon of his divine 
Master, betrayed by him. Had he humbled him- 
self, had he acknowledged his guilt, and asked our 
Saviour's pardon, Judas would have found mercy. 
But he refused to go to the fountain of grace, he 
preferred the broken cisterns of Jesus' enemies ; 
hence, his repentance was not only useless, but 
positively injurious to his soul. 

II. Christian sinners imitate the conduct of Judas 
in this respect, when they neglect, or refuse to make, 



Practical Reflections. 



205 



a sacramental confession of their sins to the legiti- 
mate ministers of Jesus Christ, from whom they can 
obtain pardon ; yet they will declare them to con- 
fidential friends, or to spurious ministers of false 
religions. No wonder that they die in their sins. 
For, those who abandon the fountain of life, shall 
have to fall into the arms of death. 

We cannot too often take notice of the striking 
difference between the repentance of St. Peter, and 
the despair of Judas. Judging, as the world does, 
from mere external appearances, the betrayal of Judas 
seems to be by far a more pardonable fault, than 
the three denials of Peter. We see Judas embrac- 
ing Jesus, saluting Him as his Master, and kissing 
Him. So far, we perceive nothing externally wrong. 
But, on the contrary, we hear Peter positively deny- 
ing Jesus, whom Judas has embraced and kissed. 
Moreover, Peter confirms his denial by perjury and 
solemn imprecations. Yet, in spite of all this, Peter 
is converted, Peter is raised in dignity and power 
above all the apostles. He is made the Vicar of 
Jesus Christ upon earth, the visible head of his 
Church, with full spiritual jurisdiction over all souls, 
and with unlimited power of opening and shutting 
the gates of heaven. 

Whence this striking difference? From three 
causes, namely : 

1st. The crime of Judas was an effect of deep- 
rooted habit; it was committed with malicious pre- 
meditation and studied hypocrisy. But the denial of 
Peter was a sin of surprise, contrary to his habitual 
dispositions. Peter fell through weakness of nature, 
not through malice of his own will. He revealed 
to St. Bridget that the cause of his fall was the 
momentary forgetfulness of his previous resolution, 
and of the promise made to his divine Master. (Lib. 
4, cap. v, Revel.) 

St. Hilary and St. Ambrose affirm that Peter did 
not deny the divinity of his Master, but spoke 
in an evasive and ambiguous manner about the 



206 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



man : Nescio hominem, — " I know not the man," whom 
the Jews pretend to be a sacrilegious criminal. 
According to the opinion of these holy and learned 
Fathers, the denial of Peter was equivalent to these 
words : " I know not the wicked criminal of whom 
you speak. For Jesus of Nazareth is not a criminal. " 
St. Hilar, et Ambros. in cap. xxii, Luc.) St. Cyril, 
of Jerusalem, goes even farther by saying, that Peter 
did not deny his Master through fear, but through 
love, because he did not wish to be banished by the 
Jews from the presence of our Lord, and thus be 
prevented from witnessing their conduct towards 
Him. (Lib. ii, in Joan. cap. 41.) 

2d. Peter, no doubt, committed a grievous sin, 
because he denied his Master externally with his 
words. But he never lost his faith in Him within 
his heart. For we learn from the Gospel, that, after 
the second crow of the cock, Peter remembered the 
words of Jesus and felt bitterly sorry, and at last a 
merciful look from Him completely converted this 
apostle. Judas, on the contrary, seems to have for- 
gotten his Master. Again, Peter after his denial 
abandoned the company of Jesus' enemies; but 
Judas after his treason returned to them. 

3d. Peter preserved his confidence in the mercy 
of his divine Master, repented, did penance, and 
obtained a most complete pardon ; Judas fell into 
despair, believed his crime superior to the mercy 
of Jesus, and hung himself to a tree. These are the 
principal causes of the reprobation of Judas, and of 
St. Peter's conversion and salvation. May they be 
a lesson to us all ! If, like Judas, we have betrayed 
our Saviour through sacrilegious communions, or 
denied our divine Master like Peter, let us promptly 
imitate this holy apostle in his repentance, and, 
like him, we shall experience the extent and ten- 
derness of the infinite mercy of Jesus. 



Practical Reflections. 



207 



Second Point. 

I. Consider the glaring hypocrisy of the Jewish 
high-priests. They affected scruples of conscience 
to restore to the treasury of the temple the money 
which they had extracted from it in paying the 
treason of Judas, when he brought it back and 
threw it before them, declaring his repentance for 
having betrayed an innocent man. They obsti- 
nately refused to believe in the innocence of Jesus, 
even on the testimony of his betrayer, Judas. But 
they pretended to have a conscientious scruple 
against putting back the money in the treasury with 
which they had encouraged, stimulated, and accom- 

I plished that sacrilegious treason. Again, these 
blind and impious men refused to enter the house 
of the Roman governor, because he was a pagan ; 
they dreaded that, by so doing, they should contract 
a legal impurity, and thus be deprived of the privi- 
lege of celebrating the great paschal solemnity. Yet, 
these men had no scruple, no remorse of conscience 
for inventing the most barefaced calumnies against 
their Lord God and Redeemer. They accused him 
before Pilate of crimes of which they knew him to be 
entirely innocent. They clamored for His blood 
and for his life, and, by crucifying the Lord of 
glory, they flattered themselves that they were 
thereby promoting the interest of religion, and the 
honor and glory of God. 

How inconsistent wicked men are when blinded 
by their passions ! 

II. This is the way in which the devil succeeds 
in deluding many souls. In fact, how many Chris- 
tians nowadays affect to have serious scruples of 
conscience for neglecting some arbitrary practices 
of devotion of little importance, which do not in any 
way clash with their predominant evil passions ; 
but they dare without remorse to nourish in their 



208 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



heart a secret envy, ill-will, and hatred against their 
neighbor; they detract, backbite and calumniate 
him. They habitually give way to self-conceit, 
pride and ambition. They are often guilty of se- 
rious acts of dishonesty and injustice in ordinary 
trade and business, whilst they censure and punish 
with severity any employe or servant guilty of a 
trifling theft. They publicly censure the indiscretion 
of some person, who may have once indulged in 
some drink, or other passion, whilst they are hab- 
itually guilty of worse secret crimes. Because, like 
the scribes and Pharisees, they are scrupulously 
exact in certain unessential pious practices, they 
consider themselves persons of great virtue, and 
models of Christian perfection. They declare that 
they are not like the rest of men, hut much superior 
to them all in the way of righteousness and sanctity. 
Oh ! pray to God, Christian reader, that He may 
deliver you from a similar delusion ; which, to a 
certain degree, is more frequent than many persons 
suspect. This blindness of soul, the just punishment 
of self-conceit and pride, is more dangerous than 
many people imagine. The example of the scribes, 
Pharisees and Jewish priests should be a sufficient 
warning. Moreover, experience shows that it is 
easier to convert to real virtue and sanctity a pub- 
lic sinner, than the deceitful hypocrite who hides 
the deformity of his secret vices under the external 
cloak of devotional practices. God is holiness, and 
hates hypocrisy ; God is truth, and loves sincerity 
and humility ; God is mercy, and has compassion 



forgives the denial of Peter, but punishes the 
hypocrisy of Judas. Both lessons are intended 
for our instruction. 




fallen nature. Hence he 



Practical Reflections. 



209 



Third Point. 

I. Consider the frivolous inconsistency of Pilate. 
He manifests favorable dispositions towards Jesus 
Christ. He believes Him an innocent, but calum- 
niated person. He admires the wisdom of our 
divine Master. He questions Him about truth. But 
without giving time to answer this most essential 
inquiry, Pilate abruptly turns his back upon our 
Lord, whom he recognizes as a great king, and a 
wise teacher, and returns to the Jewish priests and 
magistrates, declaring that he cannot find cause for 
the condemnation of our divine Saviour. 

II. The conduct of Pilate on this occasion is 
imitated by those persons who feel in their souls a 
distressing want of truth, recognize in the Catholic 
Church all the qualities of a wise and safe teacher, 
are moved on some occasion to ask, like Pilate, What 
is truth ? but they either do not await for the full 
answer, or pay not sufficient attention to it, when 
given. Again, some Catholics disturbed in mind by 
grievous doubts of conscience, ask advice from in- 
competent persons, who they know will flatter 
their passions, and favor their unlawful interests 
These also feel a need of truth, but do not wish to 
learn it. Others seek advice from wise and sincere 
ministers of religion, but refuse in practice to follow 
it, because truth demands some painful sacrifice. 
Alas! that Pilate should have so many followers in 
this world ! 

III. All those Christians who resist the lights and 
inspirations of God, and the calls of His divine 
grace and mercy, like Pilate, turn their back against 
truth. St. Paul frequently warns the faithful against 
the danger of infidelity to grace. " To-day" he says, 
" if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts." 
(Heb. iii, 15.) " Neglect not the grace which is in thee'' 
(1 Tim. iv, 14.) "We helping do exhort you that you 



2IO 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



receive 7tot the grace of God in vain. For He saith : 
In an accepted time I have heard thee ; and in the day 
of salvation I have helped thee" (n Cor. vi, I, 2.) 
St. Jerome, commenting upon these words, says: 
" Learn from this that grace has its special time. 
Do not therefore lose the opportunity by your 
delay in corresponding, when it is freely offered 
to you." Remember that -"A* who feareth God, 
neglects nothing." (Ecclus. vii, 19.) 

IV. Reflect that this favorable time, this day of 
salvation, will pass away, and never return. What 
will be our fate, if, through apathy, we neglect the 
opportunity? This consideration made the saints 
and servants of God tremble with a salutary fear. 
St. Bernard used to say to himself, " Bernard ! 
Bernard ! every grace of God is a link to the chain 
of thy predestination. By neglecting this grace I 
break the chain. This chain once broken, how can 
I hope to be saved?" Hence the holy and great 
Pope, St. Leo, says : " This is a constant cause of fear 
and trembling to the saints, lest, neglecting the help 
of grace, they may be left to the weakness of their 
nature." (Serm. viii, of the Epiphany.) Through 
our correspondence with the grace of God, we de- 
serve and obtain new and more precious gifts, but 
through our neglect, like the careless servant of the 
Gospel, we are justly deprived of what we received 
before, and thus are lost. May this thought stimulate 
vour fervor, and secure your fidelity in the service 
of God ! 



Prayer. 

Merciful Redeemer of my soul ! I sincerely thank 
Thine infinite goodness for the lessons of wisdom 
Thou vouchsafest to give me in every circum- 
stance of Thy sacred passion. In the reprobation 
of Judas, I learn the justice of the punishment which 
habitual sin and malicious hypocrisy deserve. But 



Practical Reflections. 



211 



the repentance and pardon of Thy apostle Peter 
demonstrate the tenderness of Thy compassionate 
heart for the weakness of our falleu nature. The 
self-conceit, the envy and hypocrisy of the Jewish 
priests, scribes and Pharisees ; and the shallow 
wisdom of human policy of the Roman governor, 
Pilate, teach me to avoid these fatal mistakes, and 
to value more highly, and follow more faithfully the 
wise maxims of simplicity and truth taught me by 
Thy words and by Thy example. As Thou, divine 
Master, givest me light to understand these salutary 
truths, so vouchsafe to grant me grace to practise 
them on every occasion. Thus, if through weak- 
ness I fall into some unpremeditated error, I will 
promptly repair it, like Thy apostle Peter, through 
sincere humility and lasting repentance. Because 
Thou, merciful Saviour, wilt never despise a truly 
humble and contrite heart. 

Mother of grace, mirror of truth ! obtain for me the 
gift of true evangelical simplicity, so dear to your 
sacred heart, and to that of your divine Son ; that, 
being converted from the deceitful ways of this 
malicious world, I may become an humble and 
docile disciple of the Gospel of truth; and thus 
enjoy that interior peace and happiness, which is the 
reward of the true children of God. 



212 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XIIL CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS CHRIST IS SENT TO KING HEROD AND SCORNED 

BY HIM. 

Voice of Jesus. 

Consider, my child, the manifold humiliations and 
outrages of every kind, that I had to endure this 
day in the city of Jerusalem. Reflect that during 
my passion I had to endure anguish of mind in my 
soul, deep humiliations to my dignity, and extreme 
sufferings in my body. My body was severely tor- 
mented at the scourging of the pillar, crowning of 
thorns and crucifixion. My soul was made sad and 
sorrowful even unto death in. the garden of Geth- 
semani. The city of Jerusalem was the theatre of 
my deepest humiliations. 

From the garden of Gethsemani I was led, bound 
like a malefactor, before the high-priest Annas, from 
Annas to the supreme pontiff Caiphas, from Caiphas 
to prison ; from prison I was brought before the 
ecclesiastical court, called the Sanhedrim. From 
this place I was led before the tribunal of Pilate, by 
Pilate I was sent to Herod, by whom, after many 
insults, I will be sent in derision back again to 
Pilate ; who will condemn me to be scourged and 
crucified. Follow me then with feelings of affec- 
tionate compassion, reflecting all the while in thy 
heart that I am the incarnate Son of God, the true 
Redeemer of mankind, the King of kings, and the 
supreme Lord of heaven and earth. 

The Jewish priests and magistrates perceiving the 
favorable dispositions of the Roman governor, Pilate, 
in my behalf, and having heard from him his repeated 
declarations of my innocence, were deeply disap- 
pointed, and highly offended. Excited by passion, 



Jesus Derided by Herod. 



213 



they made a great noise. They loudly accused me 
as a public teacher of false maxims, by which I was 
seducing and corrupting the people, exciting them 
to rebellion against all constituted authorities, be- 
ginning from Galilea even unto Judea, and in the 
very city of Jerusalem. Pilate was a man of an 
upright, but weak and vacillating character. He 
desired to protect persecuted innocence, but he was 
also anxious to please my numerous and powerful 
persecutors. He was not a wise statesman, but a 
selfish politician. He was habitually halting be- 
tween duty and political subserviency. This class 
of unprincipled men, so numerous in the present 
unhappy age ? bring disorder in religion, and ruin 
upon human society. 

Pilate having heard that I was from Galilee, a 
province of Palestine under the jurisdiction of King 
Herod, who had come to Jerusalem for the celebra- 
tion of the paschal solemnity, immediately seized 
this opportunity, and sent me to him. The Roman 
governor considered this a double stroke of policy. 
In the first place, Pilate hoped to throw upon King 
Herod the responsibility of condemning me to death; 
and secondly, he desired, by this show of respect for 
his kingly rights, to please him, and thus effect 
a reconciliation : for they had been political enemies 
for some years. Human policy is ever ready and 
willing to sacrifice the sacred rights of virtue, relig- 
ion, and justice, to personal ambition and temporal 
interests. 

King Herod had heard the fame of my miracles 
At my arrival in his presence, he manifested grea 
satisfaction, hoping to witness some prodigy per- 
formed by me. With much apparent kindness, he 
interrogated me upon various subjects. But I 
wished to teach all my faithful followers that relig- 
ion and justice could not expect much favor from 
wicked monarchs and political magistrates. Hence, 
in spite of all the false accusations urged against me 
by the Jewish priests and scribes, I resolved to 



214 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



preserve a profound silence. After repeated attempts 
to induce me to speak, Herod became excited with 
angry passion, and expressed great contempt for 
me. He gave orders that I should be clad with a 
white garment of derision as a mock king, a false 
prophet, and a fool. In mean flattery to the king, 
all his courtiers, the Jewish priests, the scribes, the 
soldiers, and the whole crowd of spectators insulted 
and derided me in every possible way that their 
malice and hatred against me could suggest. 

Having thus been scorned and reviled, 1 was sent 
back again to Pilate. From that moment Pilate 
and Herod became friends, because they more 
closely approached in the persecution of truth, 
religion and justice. This is the bond of friendship 
between the impious enemies of my holy faith. 
These public humiliations and outrages were very 
painful to my afflicted heart. I endured them ail 
with perfect calmness. I offered them all to my 
eternal Father in atonement for the sins committed 
by the pride and arrogance of persons in high 
stations and power. I desired also to show my 
detestation for an abominable and scandalous crime 
of which King Herod was publicly guilty. He had 
been justly reproached for it by my faithful Precur- 
sor, John the Baptist. As the lustful King Herod 
had condemned to death my virginal ambassador, 
so, in horror for his incest and for the murder per- 
petrated by him, I was profoundly silent before him. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider the motives which excited in King 
Herod the ardent desire of beholding our Lord 
Jesus Christ. These were, the fame of His great 
and numerous prodigies in behalf of suffering per- 



Practical Reflections. 



215 



sons ; the attractive gentleness of His conversation, 
the charming sweetness of His words, the kindness 
of His affectionate heart. Herod was well aware 
that large crowds of persons were anxious to behold 
our divine Saviour, and that all were charmed by 
His heavenly beauty, and instructed, consoled and 
edified by His admirable wisdom and charity 
People, in their sorrows and afflictions, sought Him 
with eagerness, saying one to another : " Let us go 
to see the Son of Mary, that we may find consola- 
tion in our trials." This fact was revealed to St. 
Bridget. (Lib. i, c. 8.) 

II. Now our holy faith teaches that we have the 
same Redeemer and Saviour continually abiding 
with us in the sacrament of the altar. We believe 
Him to be the supreme delight of the eternal 
Father, the glory of the blessed Trinity, the joy of 
the angels, the happiness of the saints, the comfort 
and consolation of all just souls. Yet we show less 
desire to converse with Him than the Jews, and 
even King Herod, did. The majority of Christians 
allow weeks, months, and years to pass without 
paying Him a visit of devotion. Obliged, by a strict 
precept of the Church, to be present at Mass on 
Sundays, they purposely select that service which 
is more convenient to their self-indulgence, and 
which will keep them in the church scarcely half an 
hour. Even within this short period of time, and 
during the tremendous sacrifice of the altar, if 
they are present with the body in the temple of God, 
their mind and heart are not with the blessed sacra- 
ment. In the afternoon, Sunday after Sunday, dur- 
ing the whole cycle of the year, the King of kings 
is for about a quarter of an hour exposed upon His 
throne, to receive the homage of His faithful subjects, 
and dispense upon them his choicest blessings. But 
the majority of modern Catholics are never seen to 
bend their knees before His divine Majesty in pro- 
fession of their faith, in gratitude for His love, and 
petition for His benediction. Can such conduct be 



2l6 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



pleasing to our divine Saviour? Can such languor 
of faith, such want of devotion, bring any blessing 
upon Catholics of this description, upon their fami- 
lies and upon their temporal and spiritual concerns ? 
Wilfully refusing the blessing of Jesus, they will 
draw upon themselves His just anger and male- 
diction. Let these lukewarm Christians reflect or? 
the words of the divine Judge to His elect: " Comt 
ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom of 
glory" Let them learn from these words that Jesus 
blesses those who seek and receive His blessing 
during their life-time. Come, ye blessed : — Jesus evi 
dently blesses those who had been blessed before 
But, as a natural consequence, it must follow that 
those who habitually refuse, or neglect to receive 
His sacramental blessing during life, will incur 
great danger of being deprived of it on the day ot 
judgment. For the Holy Ghost tells us : " A bless- 
ing and a curse are set before us for our choice." (Deut. 
xxx, rcj.) " The blessing shall be far from him, who 
refused to receive it." (Ps. cviii, 18.) 

ILL There is no question here about any grievous 
obligation for every Catholic of being present at 
benediction every Sunday. The question is, whether 
Catholics who habitually neglect it through self- 
indulgence and lack of faith and devotion, deserve 
the blessing of the elect on the day of judgment? If 
all imitated their example, no benediction could ever 
be given in any Catholic church. Therefore, respect 
and gratitude to our divine Lord in the blessed 
sacrament, and charity to our neighbor, morally 
oblige Catholics to be at least occasionally present 
at the afternoon prayers and benediction. Habitual 
neglect of it cannot be excused from some sin, as it 
will not be exempt from a condign punishment. 

IV. We have no need of apologists for the encour- 
agement of sloth when lukewarmness and apathy 
are already too common, and sufficiently scandalous, 
especially among those who have greater obligations 
both to God and to their fellow-Christians. 



Practical Reflections. 



217 



Devout souls, study to atone for this neglect by an 
increase of your fervor, devotion and zeal. Before the 
slighted King of love pray for lukewarm Catholics, 
and by your opportune advice and more efficacious 
example lead them to do homage to Him in His 
august sacrament of the altar. All pious souls find 
in Him their richest treasure and sweetest delight. 
When a truly devout Spanish countess, directed by 
the Ven. John d'Avila, was asked what she did 
during her frequent and long visits to the blessed 
sacrament, she answered : " Oh ! I could remain 
there during all eternity. My God is there, my 
Jesus is there, who forms the happiness of the 
blessed spirits of heaven. Good God ! I am asked 
what can we do before the most holy sacrament? 
We adore Him, we love Him, we praise, we thank 
Him, we ask His graces and obtain His blessing. 
Ah! what does a poor beggar do before a rich 
gentleman ? What does a sick patient do before the 
physician? What does the thirsty traveller before 
the spring of fresh water? What does a hungry 
man at a plentiful banquet ?" 

We can, with greater reason, repeat of the blessed 
sacrament what Solomon said of wisdom: "When 
I go into the house of my God, I shall find rest with my 
Jesus. For his conversation hath not bitterness, nor 
his company any tediousness, but Joy and gladness." 
(Wisd. viii, 16.) 

Second Point. 

I. Consider how terrible is the silence of Jesus,"- 
our Lord, before King Herod. Jesus is silent be- 
cause Herod does not deserve to hear His voice. 
King Herod is a malicious hypocrite: Jesus con- 
verses only with sincere and simple souls. "For every 
mocker is an abomination to the Lord ; and his com- 
munication is with the simple." (Prov. iii, 32.) 

Jesus loves humility and meekness : Herod is 

10 



218 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



proud and haughty. Jesus, the Spouse of virgins, 
loves purity and chastity : Herod is an incestuous 
king, who scandalizes his subjects and mankind by 
his vicious conduct. Jesus forgives the repenting 
sinner, but He severely punishes the obstinate crimi- 
nal. King Herod had been reproached for his 
scandal by the zealous and intrepid Precursor of 
Jesus ; but Herod had the head of the Baptist cut 
off, that he might speak no more. When the voice 
of God's ambassadors is forced to silence, then the 
voice of Jesus is no longer heard. Woe to the 
wicked, when the voice of an offended God is silent ! 
Jesus is the eternal Word of God : if He be silent, 
who shall be able to speak to the sinner's heart? 
Through His silence before King Herod, our Lord 
practically proves Himself to be the King of kings. 
He fawns not to human dignity ; he has no dread of 
kingly power. Jesus punishes Herod for his crime 
against his heavenly ambassador, John the Baptist. 
By His example He teaches His disciples, and espe- 
cially His sacred ministers, not to fear those that, 
having power to kill the body, have no dominion 
over their immortal souls. u For God will not 
except any man's person ; neither will he stand in awe 
of any man s greatness. . . . But a greater punish- 
ment is ready for the more mighty. Horribly and 
speedily will He appear to them ; for a most severe 
judgment shall be for them that bear rule. Because 
power is given them by the Lord, and strength by the 
Most High, who will examine their works, and search 
out their thoughts. For being ministers of his kingdom 
they have not judged rightly, nor kept the law of justice, 
nor, walked according to the will of God. Hear there- 
fore, ye kings, and understand : learn, ye that are the 
judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, you that 
rule the people, and that please yourselves in multitudes 
of nations T (Wisd. vi.) 

II. These solemn warnings of impending judg- 
ment and severe punishments against those who 
abuse their earthly power, have never been more 



Practical Reflections, 



219 



necessary than at the present unhappy time. For 
God will soon rise in the might of His strength and 
dissipate the power of darkness. — But let us return 
to King Herod. Consider that Jesus does not refuse 
to speak to King Herod on account of his sin of im- 
purity, but on account of his obstinacy in that crime. 
In fact, Jesus foretold the conversion and salvation 
of poor fallen woman. He forgave the adulteress, 
saved her life, and assured her of her predestination 
to eternal life. For He said to her: " Neither will 
I condemn thee'' (John, viii, 11.) He converted Mag- 
dalen, praised her ardent love, and her generosity, 
and finally raised her to a sublime degree of sanctity. 
It is not, therefore, the sin that is an obstacle 
to God's mercy, and to Jesus' compassion ; but it 
is the obstinacy of the sinner in lust that disgusts 
the divine purity of Jesus. Sinner! be converted 
without delay, and Jesus will forgive you, and wash 
away the stains of your sin with His precious blood. 



Third Point. 

I. Consider that the most painful insult that can 
be offered to a man is that of being publicly treated 
as a senseless fool. When this word is uttered with 
contempt, spite or malice, it is looked upon as a 
grievous injury. Hence it is severely condemned 
by our divine Lord as deserving the eternal fire of 
hell. u Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be guilty 
of hell firer (Matt, v, 22.) 

Now reflect that the eternal Son of God had to 
undergo this public affront in the court of King 
Herod. He was clad in derision with a white gar- 
ment as a mock king, a false prophet, and as a 
senseless fool. Consider the injustice of this deep 
humiliation. For if Jesus of Nazareth be a fool, why 
heap upon Him so man)?- humiliations and insults, 
and condemn Him to death for a natural misfortune 
which deserves the compassion of mankind? If, 



220 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



however, the incarnate wisdom of God cannot be 
foolishness, why condemn Jesus to so many deep 
humiliations and outrages? But the voice of rea- 
son, and the claims of justice are not heeded by 
passion and prejudice. 

II. Divine Jesus consents to undergo all these 
scorns to root up and cure the pride of man. Our 
divine Master teaches us by His conduct that the 
folly of the cross is the highest wisdom of the Chris- 
tian. A faithful believer and practical Christian is 
treated as a fool by the carnal wisdom of the world. 
" But the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God." 
(i Cor. iii, 19.) "For the sensual man perceiveth not 
the things that are of the spirit of God : it is foolishness 
to him, and he cannot understand." (1 Cor. ii, 14.) 
The haughty folly of wealth despises the humble 
wisdom of voluntary poverty. Blind sensuality 
ridicules the prudent self-denial of chastity. Proud 
self-conceit contemns and condemns the glorious 
sacrifice of self-will. " For the word of the Cross to 
them indeed that perish is foolishness, but to them who 
are saved, that is to us, it is the power of God. For it 
is written : I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and 
the prudence of the prudent I will reject." (1 Cor. i, 18.) 

III. Learn, devout Christian, that you have become 
truly wise, when, for the sake of Jesus Christ, you 
are by worldlings despised as a fool. You are then 
like your divine Master, who is God's eternal wis- 
dom. If, then, on account of your pious practices 
of religion, of your contempt for the vanities of 
the world, of your modesty in dress, of your per- 
sonal kindness and charity to the poor, to the sick ; if 
on account of your meekness and patience you 
are ridiculed by the giddy world, rejoice, dear chil- 
dren of God, " in being partakers of the sufferings 
and humiliations of Clirist. . . . For that which is of 
the honor, glory and pozver of God, and that which 
is His spirit, resteth upon you." (1 Peter, iv, 14.) 



Practical Reflections. J 1 221 



Prayer. 

I most firmly believe, O divine Jesus ! that it is 
neither the power, the number, or the malice of f 
Thine enemies, that can keep Thee in bondage and 
in contempt. All the power of earthly kings is 
weakness before Thy omnipotence, and all the cun- 
ning of men is folly before Thy divine wisdom. Yet, 
Thou wilt suffer insults, and bear the humiliation of 
being treated as a fool by the pride and arrogance 
of men. Great Son of God ! Thou art truly satiated 
with opprobriums. All this is borne by Thee to 
teach me the glory of humility, and the wisdom of 
silence under calumny and in sufferings endured in 
Thy service and for Thy sake. But, alas ! how far 
am I from imitating Thy example ! I am impatient 
under the least provocation. Ridicule or contempt 
I cannot endure, without seeking satisfaction. The 
most superficial calumny or misrepresentation 
makes me unhappy, until I obtain redress. By the 
bright light of Thy example, O divine Master! I 
discover that my impatience and resentment are the 
effect of my secret pride. Sweet Jesus ! make me 
meek and humble of heart, and grant that u in my 
patience I may possess my soul." 

My conduct towards Thee deserves the dreaded 
punishment of Thy silence, inflicted by Thee upon 
King Herod. But Herod was obstinate : I, through 
Thy mercy, am now penitent. Speak, then, O Lord ! 
for Thy servant is willing to hear the sweet voice 
of Thy love. Do not deprive me of the light of Thy 
truth, of the voice of Thy inspirations, and of the 
strength of Thy grace. I resolve to follow Thy foot- 
steps in the road of Calvary. 

Most holy Mary, advocate of sinners who have 
recourse to your maternal protection ! I cast myself 
at your feet to implore your intercession with your 
divine Son, Jesus. Obtain for me pardon for all my 



222 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



past sins of pride, impatience, and resentment under 
humiliations and insult. You who have been so 
highly exalted in reward of your profound humility 
and modest silence during all your life, and espe- 
cially during the bitter passion of your divine Son ! 
l obtain for me the virtue of true humility and meek- 
ness, that, imitating your example and that of your 
divine Son, I may share in your glory and happiness 
during a blessed eternity. Amen. 



Jesus Postponed to Bar abbas* 



223 



XIV. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS IS BROUGHT BACK TO PILATE, AND POSTPONED - 
TO BARABBAS. j 

Voice of Jesus. 

King Herod, having revenged his disappointment 
by heaping upon me a thousand humiliating insults, 
sent me back to Pilate. Consider now, my child, 
how much I had to suffer on my way from Herod's 
palace to that of the Roman governor, and whilst 
I was before him. The morning of that memorable 
Friday was far advanced. The news of my capture, 
trial and condemnation was known to the whole 
city. Crowds of curious spectators were hasten- 
ing from every direction to the places and streets 
where they expected to meet me. 

The great paschal solemnity had drawn to Jeru- 
salem, from every part of Palestine and of the 
world, so many thousands of persons, that the city 
was unusually crowded. The streets and every 
avenue leading from King Herod's to Pilate's house, 
were filled with people of every description. The 
Jewish priests, the ancients of the people, the 
scribes and Pharisees, in their mistaken zeal, were 
very active themselves, and through their agents, 
in propagating calumnies, and exciting the indig- 
nation of the people against me. As soon as I came 
out of Herod's royal palace, clad in the white gar- 
ment of derision, accompanied by my persecutors 
and by an insulting soldiery, a shout of scorn and 
contempt was raised by the excited mob, which was 
taken up by the whole crow T ded line of spectators, 
and continued, with additional insulting epithets, 
till I reentered the house of the Roman governor* 



224 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



The prophecy of my holy servant David was then 
fully verified, that I should he " treated as a worm 
of the earth, and not as a man, and made the reproach 
of men, and the outcast of the people" (Ps. xxi, 7.) 

My enemies, emboldened by the conduct of King 
Herod towards me, and by the vociferations of the 
people, urged Pilate, with menacing threats, to 
condemn me immediately to death. Pilate knew 
my innocence, and the unworthy motives of my per- 
secutors. Principles of justice hindered him from 
consenting to my death. But human policy, which 
has no stability of principles, strongly inclined him 
to favor the blind clamors of the people. 

Pilate listened to the impious outcries of the ex- 
cited crowd, for he dreaded to lose his popularity. 
He sacrificed justice and innocence to the blind pre- 
judices of misguided and unruly mobs. 

Pilate was, like many of his class, a ready 
adept in political manoeuvres. In order to gain 
the favor of the people, he had introduced the 
custom of giving them the privilege of choosing, 
during the pashcal solemnity, one of the culprits 
held in the public prison, who was forthwith set 
at liberty.* In the hope of obtaining my selec- 
tion, he presented me and Barabbas to the people. 
The contrast was very favorable to me. Barabbas 
was, physically and morally, one of the worst men. 
He was short in stature and thick in frame. His face 
was ugly, his forehead low, his looks were bold and 
defiant, his heart was hard and cruel. Barabbas by 
inclination was a noisy demagogue, a restless and 
rebellious subject, implicated in every seditious at- 
tempt, during which he had been guilty of murder. 
His appearance naturally excited distrust and horror. 

I have, my child, been described by my prophets, 
as the most beautiful of the sons of men : I was tall, 
erect, and dignified in every motion. I remained 
standing by the side of Barabbas. My high and 



* See St. Matt, xxvii, 15 ; and St. Mark, xv, 6. 



Jesus Postponed to Bar abbas. 



225 



clear forehead was truly the seat of wisdom. I 
kept my eyes modestly cast down upon my manacled 
hands, resting upon my bosom. By this atti- 
tude, I wished to call the attention of the people 
to those hands which had done no harm to any- 
body, but, on the contrary, had often distributed 
blessings to their children, bread to the hungry 
sight to the blind, health to the sick, life to the dead. 
The people looked at Barabbas and at me. The 
impression made upon them was in my favor. 
During this interval the Roman governor had been 
warned by his wife to beware and have nothing to 
do with me, because I was a just man, as it had been 
revealed to her in a dream.* Pilate immediately 
seized this propitious opportunity for speaking in 
my behalf. "He therefore said to them : You have 
brought this man to me as one that perverteth the 
people ; and behold, I, having examined him before 
you, find no cause in this man touching those things, 
wherein you accuse him. No, not even Herod. For I 
sent you to him, and behold, nothing worthy of death 
is done to Jesus. . . But the whole multitude' — easily 
influenced and misled by wicked men — " cried out at 
once, saying : Away with this man, and release unto 
us Barabbas." Pilate answered : " Why, what evil has 
this man done? I find no cause for death in him " 
(Luke, xxiii, 14.) But the tumult became more ob- 
streperous and threatening. Pilate, through motives 
of policy, had flattered the ambition of the people ; 
he now yielded to their unjust demands. " The 
multitudes were instant with loud voices, requiring 
that I should be crucified, and their voices prevailed. 
And thus Pilate gave sentence that their petition should 
be granted." (Luke, xxiii, 24.) 

Behold me, then, a victim to the arrogance of the 

eople, and the culpable weakness of civil rulers. 

condemned these irregularities, but accepted and 
endured their consequent humiliations and sufferings 



* St. Matt, xxvii, 19. 



226 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



in behalf of my elect, and to give to all my faithful 
followers an example of patience and humility, 
when, for my sake, they have to endure similar 
persecutions from wicked men. 

PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider the glaring injustice of Pilate on this 
occasion, wherein he flatters his vanity as if he 
were acting with great wisdom and prudence. 
Pilate gives public testimony of the innocence of 
Jesus. He officially declares that our Lord is 
entirely free from every crime imputed to Him by 
His malicious persecutors. He makes several 
attempts to deliver Him from their hands. For 
this object, Pilate sends our Lord to King Herod. 
He puts Him in competition with Barabbas, firmly 
believing that the people would, without the least 
hesitation, prefer an innocent person to a seditious 
murderer. But Pilate, blinded by pride and self- 
conceit, never reflects that it is an actual injustice 
to pretend to grant as a special favor to our Lord 
protection against his persecutors, after having 
been officially found and declared innocent. This 
is not a grace from Pilate, but a strict obligation ot 
justice due to the evident innocence of our Saviour. 
Another gross insult from him to our Blessed 
Redeemer is to place Him publicly in competition 
with one of the worst criminals that he has in 
prison, reserved for capital punishment. This com- 
parison of innocence with crime, of the Author of 
life with a bloody murderer, is already a cruel 
injustice. But Pilate goes further. He gives per- 
mission to the malicious and bitter persecutors of 
our Saviour to choose between the two, as if, in his 
opinion, wickedness and innocence were equal in 
merit. What horrible perversion of power and of 



Practical Reflections. 



227 



justice is this in the Roman governor! Yet, in 
his blindness, Pilate flatters himself as if he were 
acting with great wisdom and moderation. 

But, alas ! that the example of Pilate has found so 
many imitators among the great potentates of 
the earth ! They are determined in this unhappy 
age to have the Ark of God and the idol of Dagon, 
Jesus and Jupiter, error and truth, faith and heresy, 
worshipped by their subjects in the same temple. 
But God will break Dagon to pieces, and scatter 
its impious worshippers and patrons from the face 
of the earth. 

IL The same iniquity is committed by those 
Christians who compromise between duty of relig- 
ion and human favor; between honesty and self- 
interest, between conscience and sinful passion, 
between God and man, ending always by giving, 
like the Jews, the preference to Barabbas and 
demanding the crucifixion of Jesus. " No man can 
serve two masters," is a maxim that faith teaches and 
reason demonstrates. The Ark of God and the 
idol of Dagon cannot be worshipped in the same 
temple. God and Belial are irreconcilable enemies. 
God cannot accept a divided heart, because He 
cannot renounce His sovereign dominion. He is 
our first beginning, He must be our final end. We 
insult His supreme Majesty and violate His divine 
right of Creator, when in our heart we place the 
creature on an equality with Him. " Woe to them 
that are of a double heart" (Ecclus. ii, 14.) "How 
long do you halt between two sides ? If the Lord be 
God, follow him : but if Baal, then follow him." 
(3 Kings, xviii, 21.) Be consistent in your con- 
duct. Serve the master whose authority you 
acknowledge ; worship the God in whom you 
believe. By so doing, you will be loved by God, 
and respected by men. For how perverse soever 
men may be, they always feel respect for consist- 
ency in principle, and for manly courage in its 
profession. But, on the contrary, those who profess 



228 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



to believe in a doctrine in theory, and contradict it 
in practice, are inevitably despised both by God 
and by men. Sincere and consistent persons 
despise these false believers, because, by their 
actions, they dishonor the faith which they profess ; 
ind the impious and the wicked abominate them, 
because they pretend to separate themselves from 
their society through their religious principles, 
whilst they are their associates in vice by their 
outward conduct. False devotees, imperfect relig- 
ious, and careless ecclesiastics should reflect how 
far they belong to this class of Christians. 



Second Point. 

I. Consider, Christian soul, the mildness, patience, 
and humility of our Lord Jesus Christ, whilst He 
is subjected to the degradation of a comparison 
with Barabbas. In the depth of His soul, Jesus 
reflects that, though personally innocent, yet he had 
voluntarily assumed to satisfy for all the iniquities 
of mankind, and that for this cause He should have 
to suffer more than Barabbas, and more than any 
other criminal in the world. The innumerable 
crimes for which he has undertaken to atone, send 
forth such a cry to heaven, that it is more powerful 
to provoke his punishment than all the expedients 
used by Pilate are efficacious in procuring His 
acquittal. Jesus is well aware that all the half 
measures and the want of resolution of the Roman 
governor will only contribute to increase His 
sufferings and His humiliations. He accepts all for 
our sake with perfect resignation. 

II. See how different is the conduct of our divine 
Master and Lord from that of many Christians! 
When their personal honor is at stake, they cannot 
bear the very shadow of humiliation. They can 
with difficulty be induced to pay the due tribute 
of respect to their legitimate superiors. They 



Practical Reflections. 



229 



advance claims of birth, position, age, knowledge, 
and other worldly titles. They insist on privileges 
of priority over their equals, and will never consent 
to be for a moment postponed to an inferior. Yet, 
these persons pretend to be disciples of Jesus 
Christ, who wilfully consented to be postponed 
to Barabbas the murderer. Ah ! alas ! when have 
we been compared, and much less postponed, to 
such an unworthy criminal? Humiliations are 
painful indeed to human pride. But let us seriously 
reflect that, had not our Lord and Saviour consent- 
ed to bear that public humiliation for our sake, we 
should, on account of our pride and sins, have been 
plunged into hell beneath millions of reprobates, 
and trampled upon by demons. Resolve, then, to 
bear patiently affronts and humiliations for the 
sake of your divine Master, and in atonement 
for your sins. Do not complain when some infe- 
rior and less deserving person is preferred to you. 
Do not insist upon your rights and titles of honor. 
We are taught by St. Paul to consider every man 
better than ourselves. Leave to worldly-minded 
persons disputes for honorable positions and prefer- 
ments. With profound and sincere sentiments ot 
humility, as a poor sinner, and as a devout follower 
of Jesus crucified, rejoice to occupy the last place 
upon earth, that you may deserve to be raised in 
glory nearer to Him in heaven. "For he that hum* 
bleth himself shall be exalted'' 



Third Point, 

I. Consider the perfidy and ingratitude of the 
Jews against our divine Lord, their most loving and 
generous benefactor. He had selected their nation 
as His people of predilection. He had honored 
them by His birth, enriched them by innumerable 
benefits, taught them His heavenly doctrines. He 
had selected His apostles from their race, He had 



230 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



wrought all manner of prodigies in their behalf. 
Jesus had cured the sick, cleansed the lepers, re- 
stored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, 
speech to the dumb, motion to the crippled, life to 
the dead. He had miraculously multiplied food 
for the hungry, consoled the afflicted, converted 
sinners, delivered the obsessed from the tyranny 
of Satan; in short, Jesus had travelled through 
every part of their country doing good to every 
one. During the thirty-three years of His life 
among them, not one person could come forward 
and accuse Him of the least offence or injury. 
But now, Jesus being persecuted by envy and 
oppressed by calumny, this ungrateful nation is 
officially asked by the Roman governor to make a 
choice between Him, their common benefactor, and 
Barabbas, the seditious. murderer, and they commit 
the horrible injustice of demanding the immediate 
release of the bloody criminal and the death of their 
innocent Saviour. If the infallible authority of 
the Gospel did not state this atrocious fact, with 
all its circumstantial details, we could not believe 
that human perversity would arrive at such a depth 
of malice. Yet, such is the case. Pagan history 
corroborates this truth of Christianity. This ac- 
cursed and unhappy race has been suffering for thi 
awful crime during almost two thousand years. 

II. But, alas ! that the example of the Jews is to 
often imitated by Christian sinners. As Pilate pro 
posed Barabbas in competition to Jesus; so th 
devil proposes error in faith in competition to truth 
vice against virtue, lust against purity, earth agains 
heaven, man against God ; the sinner, blinded by hi 
passions, sacrifices faith, virtue, holiness, heaven, 
and God, for a vile and momentary gratification of 
passion, and for the sake of an unworthy creature. 
In time of temptation the infidel holds the balance i 
his hand. In one scale the devil places the licens 
of heresy and unbelief ; but God sets in the othe 
His divine Son, Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and 



Practical Reflections. 



231 



the life. The pride of mind and the lust of the flesh 
reject the truth, give the preference to error and 
impiety, and cry aloud : " We choose Barabbas, let 
Jesus be crucified. We prefer the pleasing vagaries 
of sensual apostates to the solid truths of self-deny- 
ing apostles. We are more pleased with inconsistent 
novelties, than with the unchangeableness of Chris 
tian dogmas. We are more satisfied with the empty 
figures of the sacrament, than with the reality of 
Transubstantiation taught by the Catholic Church. 
The fallible opinions of men are more agreeable to 
us, than the doctrines of the unerring authority of 
the Pope." Such is the language, and such is the 
conduct of modern infidelity and impiety. We should 
pity their blindness, and deplore their obstinacy. 

But Jesus is not less offended with the malice of 
Christian believers. When we commit sin, we pre- 
fer a vile creature, an infamous passion, to Jesus 
Christ. The pleasures of the flesh are more valued 
than the joys of the spirit, the earth is preferred to 
heaven, and human favor to the friendship of God. 
The slavery of Satan is more coveted than the free- 
dom of God's children, the body is more esteemed 
than the soul, and hell is, in practice, preferred to 
heaven. 

III. Our divine Lord keenly felt the horrible insult 
offered to Him by the Jewish people, when they 
postponed Him to Barabbas. But He could excuse 
their ignorance. What excuse can be pleaded by 
a Christian, and perhaps by a religious or an eccle- 
siastic, after nineteen centuries of faith, when, to 
gratify a passion, he rejects Jesus Christ, His grace 
and His love, for the sake of a wretched creature ? In 
the selection of Barabbas by the Jews, the wisdom 
and mercy of our Saviour found some motive of 
consolation. He perceived that by His own death 
He would save the temporal life of His rival, Bar- 
abbas, and secure the eternal salvation of poor 
sinners. Hence He generously accepted the selec- 
tion, and in His divine soul he rejoiced at the 



232 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



opportunity offered to Him of sacrificing His life 
for our sake. But His heart cannot find any com- 
fort in our sins. When we reject Him for the sake 
of a creature, we can neither save the creature, nor 
ourselves. On the contrary, our conduct brings 
temporal misery, and eternal death upon our soul, 
and upon the unhappy victim of our passion. Thus, 
in rejecting our Saviour, we inflict a deadly wound 
upon three hearts. We kill our soul, and that of our 
victim, and transfix with sorrow the loving heart 
of our divine Lord and Saviour. Humble yourself, 
then, Christian sinner, and sincerely deplore your 
past conduct. Resolve, once forever, never to give 
the preference to any creature to the offence of 
your divine Creator, and to the injury of your own 
soul. Be faithful in your resolution. Prostrate your- 
self with a truly humble and contrite heart at the 
feet of your merciful Lord, to ask His pardon and 
the assistance of His divine grace. 



Prayer. 

Jesus, eternal Son of God, infinite wisdom, 
essential goodness, sovereign Lord of the universe ! 
I am astonished at the malice of the Jews when I see 
them preferring a wicked murderer to Thee, their 
divine Saviour, and most generous benefactor. 
But alas ! that their conduct towards Thee has been 
too faithfully imitated ever since by every pagan 
who preferred his dumb idols to Thy divine worship ; 
by every heretic who obstinately adheres to his 
private opinion in opposition to Thy infallible word ; 
by every infidel who esteems more his fallacious 
reasoning than Thy divine truth, and by every sinner 
who prefers the momentary pleasure of sin to the 
beauty of Thy grace, and the happiness of Thy love. 
In the number of these blind Christians I have been, 
as often as I committed sin for the criminal grati- 
fication of my wicked passions. But at the light of 



Practical Reflections. 



233 



Thy truth I see the error of my ways, and most 
sincerely deplore the insult which I have offered to 
Thee, my sovereign Lord and God, by postponing 
Thee to a vile and sinful creature. 

Prostrate at Thy feet, with a truly humble and 
contrite heart, I implore Thy pardon, and firmly 
promise, with the assistance of Thy grace, never 
to prefer any love to Thy love, any gratification 
to Thy divine will and pleasure. In every temp- 
tation I will say : Let the Barabbas of sin die ; let 
Jesus live forever in my heart, and in the hearts 
of all men. 

Most holy Mother of my divine Saviour ! assist me 
with your powerful intercession to render this my 
resolution as effective and lasting as your maternal 
heart, and that of your divine Son, desire it to be, to 
the end of my life. Amen. 



234 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XV. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS IS SCOURGED AT THE PILLAR. 

Preliminary remarks relative to the flagellation of 
Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We prefer to have these remarks printed in the 
text of the book, rather than in notes at the end of 
the page, for the following reasons : ist. Because 
they are important and almost indispensable to the 
proper intelligence and appreciation of this painful 
and humiliating mystery. 2d. They are too long 
for notes. 3d. Because notes in a book of medi- 
tations are seldom read. 

L The first remark to be made in this place is, 
that Pilate having, contrary to his expectations, 
condemned our Lord to be scourged, the necessary 
preparations had to be made, before the sentence 
could be executed. The executioners had to be 
appointed, the instruments had to be prepared a:nd 
selected, and the place for the flagellation had to be 
fixed. All this required some time. Now, from 
different sources, it appears that, during this interval 
of time, our divine Victim was confined in some nar- 
row dungeon, or rather dry cistern under ground, 
within the palace of the Roman governor. In 
proof of this, we have St. Bonaventure contemplat- 
ing in his " Life of Christ/' our Lord cast into a 
cistern like Joseph, son of Jacob. Again, in the life 
of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, we read that, 
during an extraordinary ecstasy, she was made to 
pass through every stage of our Lord's passion. 
After having been condemned to the scourge, con- 
tinuing in her ecstasy, this great saint, observed 
by several of her religious sisters, went to hide, or 
rather thrust herself in a narrow hole, under the 



Jesus Scourged at the Pillar. 



235 



staircase of the convent, and remained therein, with 
great bodily inconvenience, about half an hour, 
when she came out again, and had visibly to en- 
dure the scourge, the crowning with thorns, and 
jll the other sufferings of the passion, in the exact 
order in which they were endured by our Saviour. 
This was, in fact, the explanation which the saint 
gave, when requested, after her long ecstasy. 

Lastly, St. Leonard, of Porto-Maurizio, had for his 
private devotion written down certain resolutions 
to be observed by him in every circumstance of his 
life. To assist his recollection and devotion during 
the recital of the divine office, he assigned to each 
part of it some special consideration to be made by 
him on the different stages of the passion. We 
quote the following as a specimen and as an illus- 
tration of our remark : — 

" During the fourth psalm at Lauds, I will consider 
our Lord standing before Pilate, and keeping a 
profound silence. During the fifth psalm, I will 
contemplate Him cast into a narrow cell, and I will 
keep myself in spirit united to Him. At Prime, I 
will meditate on His scourging/' It is evident from 
these words that this learned saint believed in the 
incarceration of our Redeemer between the interval 
of His condemnation by Pilate and the actual 
scourging. 

II. In the drawings of the holy places of Jerusa- 
lem, published in Rome and Florence, 1620, by the 
Rev. Father Bernardine Amici da Gallipoli, a Fran- 
ciscan Minor Observant, the place where our divine 
Lord was scourged, is shown to be different from 
that where He was crowned with thorns. The place 
of the flagellation is represented as a small elevated 
piazza or square surrounded by walls. The people 
ascended to this square by eight stone steps leading 
to a gate. These steps are, with twenty others, 
venerated in Rome at the Scala Santa, because 
our Blessed Saviour's feet hallowed them in going 
up to the place selected for his painful scourging. 



236 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

In the centre of this square, a small column of 
marble was fixed, about three feet high, having an 
iron ring fastened on the top, to which our Lord was 
bound with a cord whilst He was scourged. This 
venerated column was brought from Jerusalem to 
Rome in the year 1225, during the pontificate of 
Honorius III, and placed in a special chapel in St. 
Praxedes' Church near the Basilica of St. Mary 
Major. From the writings of St. Gregory of Turon, 
who lived in the fourth century, we learn that the^ 
Christians of those times had a great veneration for 
that sacred column, hallowed by the most holy 
blood of our divine Lord. For a short time they 
tied round it some strings or tapes which they de- 
voutly carried away with them, to be worn, in case 
of any bodily infirmity, around .the body of the 
sufferer, who frequently received much benefit and 
relief from them. (St. Greg., Turon., Deglor. Mart., 
lib. i, cap. 7.) From the piazza or square where- 
in this memorable column was permanently fixed, 
the people ascended over five other stone steps in- 
side an elevated arch, leading to the atrium, or 
interior court of the governor's palace. This court 
was surrounded by galleries. The Roman govern- 
or's garrison was stationed in this court. This 
difference between the place of the flagellation, and 
that wherein our Blessed Lord was crowned with 
thorns, seems to be well indicated by the following 
words of the holy Evangelist St. Mark : " The soldiers 
led him " (Jesus, after the scourging) " into the court 
of the palace, and they call together the whole band. 
And they clothe him with purple ; and platting a crown 
of thorns, they put it upon him" (Mark, xv, 16.) 

III. We should, moreover, observe that all great 
criminals condemned to the death of the cross were 
previously scourged. But, in Deuteronomy, God 
forbids the Jews inflicting more than forty stripes. 
" According to the measure of the sin shall the mea- 
sure also of the stripes be : yet so, that they exceed 
not the number of forty : lest thy brother depart 



Jesus Scourged at the Pillar. 



shamefully torn before thy eyes." (Deut. xxv, 2, 3.) 
The Jews were so exact in the observance of this law 
that they never exceeded the number of thirty-nine 
lashes, as we see in the five different scourgings 
inflicted on the holy Apostle St. Paul. (2 Cor. 
xi, 24.) We shall have to observe, however, that 
this divine law was totally disregarded in relation 
to our blessed Saviour. We should also remark 
that the instruments used on this painful and hu- 
miliating occasion were of two different kinds. Rods 
only were allowed when free men were scourged. 
But poor wretched slaves were punished and tor- 
mented in a more horrible manner. The scourges 
used upon these were formed of a certain number 
of cords or leather thongs, the extremities of which 
were armed with pieces of sharp bone or iron 
hooks, that cut and tore away the flesh of the un- 
happy victim. Ulpian says: " Many of these wretch- 
ed slaves died in intense agony of pain under the 
repeated blows of those horrible scourges." (Ulpian, 
lib. viii, de poen.) 

Now, the eternal Son of God having, as St. Paul 
says, assumed in His incarnation the form of a 
servant, wished to be scourged like a mean slave, 
to deliver us from the slavery of sin and of Satan. 
" He debased himself, taking the form of a servant." 
(Phil, ii, 7.) 

IV. Finally, we translate here from the Latin the 
two revelations made by the most holy Virgin, 
Mother of the Redeemer, to St. Bridget about His 
scourging :— 

" When my Son was scourged, I was very neai 
Him. At the first lash inflicted upon Him, I fell down 
half dead with grief. When I recovered my senses, 
I beheld His body wounded, and His flesh so torn 
by the scourges, that His ribs could be seen. The 
executioners, however, continued to lash Him with 
such violence that, when the scourges were drawn 
back, they furrowed His flesh, and tore it away in 
shreds. In this manner my Son was lacerated so 



2 3 8 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



completely from head to foot, that not a sound spot 
was found in His whole body, which was bleeding 
from every pore. The executioners having for a 
moment suspended their blows through fatigue, one 
of the by-standers, moved to compassion, stepped 
forward and exclaimed : " Will you dare to kill this 
man before he is condemned? " Having said this, he' 
immediately cut off the cord with which He was 
bound to the column. Being thus free, my Son 
forthwith put on again His clothes. His blood was 
flowing so copiously from His wounded body, that 
a little pool was formed at His feet whilst He was 
putting on His garments. The executioners, how- 
ever, gave Him no time to dress Himself, but 
pushed Him, half dressed, and dragged Him away. 
Wherever He went He left with His feet traces of 
blood, so that, from these bloody foot-prints, I could 
discover whither He was led and follow Him." 
(St. Bridget, Revel, book i, c. 10.) 

A more distinct account of these scourges is 
given in another place by the most holy Virgin to 
the same saint. 

" At the command of the executioner, my Son 
took off His garments, and voluntarily embraced the 
column to which He was closely bound. The exe- 
cutioners immediately seized the scourges, armed 
at the extremities with sharp iron hooks, which, when 
striking Him, entered His flesh, and being pulled 
back, furrowed and lacerated His whole body. At 
the first lash, as if it had wounded my heart and 
caused me an agony of grief, I lost my senses. But 
after some time, awaking, as it were, I beheld His 
body covered with wounds and blood, for during 
the scourging it was naked. At last, one of my Son's 
enemies, who was assisting the executioners, said to 
them : ' Will you kill this man without being con- 
demned, and assume the responsibility of his death.' 
Having said this, he came forward and cut off the 
cord with which my Son was bound to the column. 
Being thus free, He went immediately to look for 



Jesus Scourgea at the Pillar, 



239 



His clothes, and began to put them on quickly, but 
they gave Him no time. The soldiers seized Him, 
and were dragging Him away whilst He was thrust- 
ing His arms into the sleeves. Blood was flowing 
down to His feet, so that, wherever He went, I 
could see His foot-prints, marked with His blood. 
In putting on His tunic, the blood was wiped from 
my Son's face. , ' (St. Bridget, book iv, c. 70.) 

V. Our Blessed Lord, wishing to give St. Teresa 
some faint idea of the barbarous nature of His flag- 
ellation, appeared to her in a vision. He was 
tightly bound to a column, and covered all over 
with bleeding wounds. One of these attracted in a 
special manner the attention of the saint, and 
deeply moved her compassionate heart. She saw 
a large, deep wound on our Saviour's arm, where a 
piece of flesh was hanging near the elbow, that had 
been partially torn by those horrible scourges. 
(Life of St. Teresa.) 

We have another proof of the cruelty exercised 
at the scourging of our dear Lord, related in the 
life of St. Mar}: Magdalen, of Pazzi. It has been 
mentioned above that this great saint on a certain 
occasion was made to participate in a wonderful 
manner in the passion of our Saviour. As far as it 
was possible for her, she had to suffer physically 
what He endured during His bitter passion. Hav- 
ing arrived at the stage of the flagellation, this great 
saint, in the presence of some of her astonished 
religious sisters, placed herself near a column of the 
convent, having both hands on her back turned 
towards it, as if bound to it by an invisible cord. 
In this position she remained standing, and in pro- 
found silence for about one hour. Her counte- 
nance was grave, pale, and sad, but very humble 
and meek. Her sufferings appeared so intense 
that she was unable to utter a word, but, by the 
writhing of her body, it was evident that she was 
sensibly, though invisibly, scourged all over it. 
From the signs that the saint gave, it appeared that 



240 



The Voice of Jesns Suffering. 



the executioners were, during the scourging, changed 
thirty times. At the end of this mysterious and 
wonderful exhibition, the saint fell down exhausted 
on the brick pavement, extremely weak, and panting 
for breath, as if actually going to die. (Life of St 
Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, c. 91.) 

We feel confident that devout readers will be 
pleased and edified by these preliminary remarks, 
on account of the information which they give on 
this great mystery of the passion. See also pre- 
liminary remarks on the Crucifixion. 



Voice of Jesus. 

Pilate, seeing that all his attempts directed to 
deliver me from death, served only to excite more 
strongly the hatred of my enemies, concluded to 
yield to their clamors. He condemned me to the 
scourge, abandoning me entirely to their malice. 
This being very great, he knew that they would 
treat me with barbarous cruelty. He intended, 
however, to turn this cruelty in my favor. At the 
sight of my wounds and blood, Pilate expected 
that the malice of my enemies would be satisfied, 
and their hearts moved to compassion towards me, 
and thus he would seize this opportunity for deliver- 
ing me from their hands. For this reason he said : 
"I will chastise him therefore and release him." (Luke, 
xxiii, 16.) Behold, my child, the great injustice 
done to me. Pilate repeatedly proclaimed my entire 
innocence, yet he condemned me to be scourged. 
His personal intention was good, but his official 
action was unjust and cruel. By yielding in smaller 
matters to the malicious demands of my enemies, 
Pilate gradually disposed his mind and heart to the 
horrible crime of deicide, by condemning me to the 
death of the cross. Reflect, seriously, my child, 
that no man becomes very wicked all at once. It 
is by degrees, by the voluntary commission of 



Jesus Scourged at the Pillar. 



241 



smaller faults, that sinners fall at last into the great- 
est crimes. " He that despises small things shall fall 
by little and little!' (Ecclus. xix, 1.) 

My enemies rejoiced at their victory. They 
immediately began to prepare the most effective in- 
struments for the scourging, and selected the most 
cruel executioners. As soon as they were ready, I 
was dragged to the appointed place. The cords 
and chains with which I was bound, were loosened. 
I was ordered to strip myself naked. Ah ! what 
horrible confusion this caused me ! But I knew 
that I had to bear it to atone for so much vanity in 
dress, and the scandalous nudity of many worldly 
women. Will these detestable abuses ever be cor- 
rected in Christian society ? " Woe I to those by whom 
scandals come " 

In this humiliating condition I was seized by the 
executioners, rudely pushed to the column, and 
tightly bound with a cord to the ring on its summit. 
One of the strongest and boldest of the executioners 
planted himself at my right side, and another at my 
left. Like an humble criminal, I bowed down my 
head and body towards the pavement, presenting my 
back to their lashes. Between the two executioners 
there was a cruel rivalry for the first and most 
painful blow. This soon fell upon my delicate body, 
immediately followed by a second, amid the shouts 
of approbation of the surrounding crowd. Blow 
after blow fell fast upon me without interruption. 
The strokes were given with such force that the 
lashes whistled in the air, and each of them cut my 
flesh, causing me intense pain. Doing extreme vio- 
lence to myself, I remained calm and patient, offering 
all my sufferings to my eternal Father in atonement 
for the sins of mankind. My meekness and patience, 
instead of edifying the by-standers, and softening the 
hearts of the executioners, disappointed the former 
and irritated the latter. These redoubled their fury, 
they accelerated their blows, and increased their 
violence. My body was soon covered with wounds. 

11 



242 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

Blood was flowing on every side. The scourges 
were imbrued with my blood, which they sprinkled 
in every direction. The column was crimsoned 
with my blood. Pools of warm blood were formed 
on the ground at my feet. From head to foot I 
was covered all over with bleeding wounds. 

This, however, did not satisfy the malice of my 
persecutors. They had heard the imprudent words 
of Pilate, that after the scourging he intended to re- 
lease me. Hence the two first executioners feeling 
exhausted, two others came forward to take their 
place. They armed themselves with more terrible 
scourges, fully determined to flog me to death. As 
no sound part could be seen in my wounded and 
bleeding body, so they tortured my wounds, tore 
my flesh into shreds, and struck blow after blow 
upon my bare ribs, muscles, and nerves, which 
caused me an agony of pain. Human nature could 
not have survived this horrible butchery. I had 
more to suffer, because I wished more fully to atone. 
I wished to give an example of patience to all men. 
My sufferings were meriting strength and courage 
for millions of future martyrs of my faith and love. 
I was anxious to obtain the loving compassion of 
pious souls, and the confidence of desponding sin- 
ners, when contemplating the excess of my suffer- 
in ps endured for their sakes. Finally, I wished to 
show practically to my persecutors that I was the 
Master of life and death, that all the torments of 
human power could not force me to die. That I 
would lay down my life when I pleased, and take it 
back again when I liked. My divinity supported 
my human life, that I might accomplish the sacrifice 
on the cross upon Mount Calvary. 

Reflect, then, my child, that this scourging was 
an effort of human malice against the will and power 
of my divinity. Cruel and barbarous men were tor- 
turing me to cause my death ; my divinity support- 
ed me to preserve my human life. The more signs 
of life I gave, the more cruel my enemies became; 



Jesus Scourged at the Pillar. 



243 



for the devil had taken possession of them. They 
were mad with rage. They struck me with fury, 
they lashed me without mercy, they were deter- 
mined to see me expire under their fierce blows. 
But at last one man among the crowd being moved 
to compassion, said with a loud voice to the execu- 
tioners: " You have no right to kill this man before 
sentence of death has been pronounced against him 
by the Roman governor." At these words the 
executioners suspended their bloody work. He 
immediately came forward with a sharp sword, and 
cut off the cord by which I was fastened to the 
column. Exhausted by intense sufferings and by 
the copious loss of my blood, I fell down on my 
face to the ground. I soon, however, made an 
effort, stood again on my feet, and went immediately 
in search of my tunic, which, with much difficulty 
and grievous pain, I attempted to put on, amid the 
sneers and insults of the cruel and heartless crowd 
that surrounded me. 

Consider, my child, how much I have suffered for 
thy sins. They have cost me very dear. Behold 
my body covered with wounds. See my blood flow- 
ing in every direction. Whilst I am reduced to 
such a painful condition, wilt thou continue to 
pamper thy body? Wilt thou seek for comforts, 
amusements, and pleasures? Remember that if I 
have undertaken to atone for thy sins, I have never 
intended to dispense thee from the duty of doing 
penance. My scourging was principally intended 
to atone for the sins of sensuality. Penance only 
can cure and atone for this vice. Without penance 
there is no salvation for sinners. Let, then, thy 
compassion for my sufferings be proved by thy 
love of habitual self-denial, mortification and pen- 
ance. "He alone that suffers with me shall be glorified 
with meT 



244 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 



First Point. 

I. Consider, Christian soul, the deep confusion of 
our Lord when stripped of His garments before a 
large crowd of rude and insulting men. But reflect 
that He consented to endure this painful humiliation, 
to teach you to put off your old habits of sin and 
vice. Your divine Saviour desires to teach you to 
have a sincere contempt for the vain ornaments in 
dress, so common among worldlings in this super- 
ficial age. Remember that vanity and luxury in 
dress is not only a sin for you, but it is an occasion 
of scandal to others. You may sin in your intention 
or object, in procuring vain and luxurious ornaments 
in dress, by making an idol of your bod)/ , and by in- 
dulging in self-complacency. You may dress accord- 
ing to your state and condition of life. You may 
follow the legitimate customs of Christian society. 
But remember that worldly fashions in their frivolity 
do neither lead to virtue, nor to the imitation of Jesus 
scourged, crowned, not with roses, but with thorns, 
and adorned, not with gold and diamonds, but cov- 
ered with wounds and blood. Reflect that the ex- 
travagant expenses of worldly fashions often cause 
great inconveniences in families, considerable loss 
of precious time, serious injury to justice, to charity 
and religion, by depriving creditors of their money, 
domestics of their due wages, the poor of Jesus 
Christ of their needed alms, and religion of both 
your good example, and of the means necessary to 
the decorum of divine worship. If the millions, 
which are viciously squandered in extravagant fash- 
ions, were judiciously spent in public institutions of 
Christian charity and religion, we could afford ample 
provisions for our poor, suffering people, for our 
Christian schools, and for our Catholic churches. 



Practical Reflections. 



245 



II. Fashions engender a spirit of frivolous dissipa- 
tion, distract the mind from the grave duties of the 
family life, and much more of religion ; and through 
selfishness and sensuality, they corrupt the soul and 
harden the heart to the claims of Christian charity. 
Fashions are a prolific cause of scandal, — to the vain 
by imitation, to the sensuous by lust, to the rich by 
extravagance, to the equal by jealousy, to the poor 
and inferior by envy, to all by evil example. 

Devout reader ! if God has given you light and 
grace to escape from the slavery of fashion, or 
placed you beyond the reach of its contagious in- 
fluence, thank Him with your whole heart, and in 
your charity pray fervently to Him, through the 
merits and efficacy of our Saviour's passion, that 
all Christians may learn to esteem and practise the 
virtues of His humility and modesty. Pray that, 
as St. Peter says, " Christian women may consider 
their chaste conversation with fear. Whose adorning 
may not be in their head swelled with vanity, or in the 
wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel ; but in the 
hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptibility of a 
quiet and meek spirit, ivhich is rich in the sight of God. 
For in this manner lieretofore also the holy zvomen, 
hoping in God, adorned themselves in virtue." (1 Peter, 
iii, 2-5.) 

Pray, devout reader, that in this age of frivolity 
and show the votaries of fashion may, like the pen- 
itent Magdalen, be converted from the errors of 
their way, and learn to make to themselves friends 
among the poor of Christ out of the Mammon of 
iniquity, that, w T hen their youth, beauty and life 
shall fail, they may be received into everlasting 
dwellings, robed in immortal glory. (St. Luke, 
xvi, 9. ) 

III. Consider, finally, the admirable readiness and 
meekness with which our innocent Lord allowed 
those fierce executioners to bind Plim like a crimi- 
nal slave to that infamous column. Behold ! the 
Lord of heaven and earth, whom ail creatures should 



246 The Voice of Jesus Stijfering. 



adore and obey, abandons Himself completely to 
the power of His savage executioners, extends 
His hands to be bound to the column, humbly bows 
down His adorable head to receive their lashes on 
His body, and with unutterable meekness and pa- 
tience endures their horrible scourges, until He is 
taken away by authority. 

Here we have an example of obedience to law. 
We are taught to check the violence of passion for 
freedom, within the limits of law and duty. Our 
frequent transgressions against the divine law have 
obliged our Redeemer to obey His own execu- 
tioners, in whom He beholds the avengers of divine 
justice on His person, on account of our manifold 
crimes. " For lie was wounded for our iniquities, he 
was bruised for our sins." (Isa. liii, 5.) Let us learn, 
at least, to be obedient to our legitimate superiors, 
when we see the great Son of God obeying His 
cruel executioners. If, on some occasions, obe- 
dience is painful to self-love, let us reflect that our 
Saviour's obedience during -His bloody scourging 
was more painful to Him. Our superiors and our 
spiritual directors, in demanding our obedience, 
promote the real welfare of our soul, and seek our 
true happiness in time and eternity. The) 7 are for us 
both the ministers and the representatives of God ; 
let us, therefore, obey them for Jesus' sake, not 
only with external promptitude, but also with inter- 
nal alacrity of spirit, " as true servants of Christ, 
doing the will of God from the heart." (Eph. vi, 6.) 



Second Point. 

I. Consider that, during His scourging, our divine 
Redeemer principally intended to atone for our sins 
of sensuality and lust. These sins are frequently 
committed in the world. Blinded by temptation, too 
many sensual men plunge headlong into the mire 
of carnal pleasures. The demon of lust inflames 



Practical Reflections. 



247 



their hearts with an impure fire, and obscures their 
reason by the fumes of passion. Sensual men are 
reckless ; they stop not to reflect on the deformity, 
malice and degradation of this vice. Man, essen- 
tially a spiritual and intelligent being, created to 
the image and likeness of God, degrades himself 
through lust beneath the low condition of brutes, 
and degenerates into the vile corruption of flesh. 
This is what caused the first known pang to the 
heart of God, when he repented of having created 
man upon earth. (Gen. vi, 6.) It was principally 
this degrading vice that made God resolve to 
destroy guilty man through the universal deluge. 
The populous and luxurious cities of Pentapolis, in 
Palestine, were devoured by flames, enkindled by 
the fire of lust. Their very ruins were buried be- 
neath the earth, and submerged under a fetid lake 
of brimstone, to testify to all future generations the 
deep disgust and hatred of God against carnal sins. 
Twenty -four thousand men were slain in a few hours 
in punishment of this crime. (Num. xxv, 9.) Re- 
bellion against King David, and deep desolation in 
his family, and through his whole kingdom, was 
occasioned by this sin. (2 Kings, xviii.) Republics 
and kingdoms, empires and nations, thrones and 
dynasties, have, by God's avenging justice, been 
effaced from the face of the earth, principally in 
punishment of this abominable vice. 

II. The blackest scandals in human society, here- 
sies in the Church, the loss of faith in many millions 
of Christians, and in several nations, have been oc- 
casioned by this horrible crime. According to many 
Fathers and Doctors of the Church, more souls are 
eternally lost through this vice than through any 
other sin. St. Alphonsus Liguori says : " I unhesitat- 
ingly affirm that all those who are damned, are lost 
mainly through this vice of lust, surely not without 
it." (Moral. Theol. de Sexto precept, no. 413.) The 
reason is, because this vice awfully blinds the mind, 
and horribly depraves and hardens the heart, thus 



248 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



dragging its slaves to final impenitence and eternal 
reprobation. As St. Augustine says : " Stupenda 
mentis ccecitas ! Horrenda cordis depravation (St. 
August, de fide, spe et charit. cap. 8.) St. Augus- 
tine spoke thus from painful experience. Hence 
the holy prophet Osee says : " Ephraim hath com- 
mitted fornication, Israel is defiled. They will not let 
their thoughts to return to their God : for the spirit of 
fornication is in the midst of them, and they have not 
known the Lord,." (Osee, v, 4.) 

Christians should seriously reflect that, according 
to St. Paul's doctrine, they are the temples of God, 
and the real members of Christ's mystical body. 
Now, through the sin of lust, these sacred members 
are corrupted, and God's living temple is defiled. 
" Know you not that you are the teinple of God, and 
that the spirit of God dwelleth in you f But if any 
man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy. 
For the temple of God is holy, which you are." (1 Cor., 
iii, 16.) " Know you not that your bodies are the 
members of Christ ?" (1 Cor., vi, 15.) The conclusion 
which this holy apostle immediately draws from this 
truth, would appear too horrible to many Christian 
sinners. But it clearly shows the awful malice 
of their carnal sins. May God in His mercy, 
through the merits of His Son's passion, enlighten 
their minds, and effectually convert their hearts ! 

III. Christian reader, if God, through His holy 
grace, has preserved you from the baneful contagion 
of this sin, thank Him with an humble heart. Re- 
member that we all carry this heavenly treasure in a 
frail earthen vessel, which may in various ways be 
easily broken ; and once broken, it cannot be repaired 
without a very extraordinary grace of God, granted 
only to few privileged, humble and fervent penitent 
souls. So long as we live in this body of flesh, we 
are in danger. W e are on every side surrounded 
by numerous enemies. The devil is a secret foe of 
purity, the world is an open enemy of chastity. 
Youth and beauty are a temptation, pleasant and 



Practical Reflections, 



249 



agreeable society often proves a snare to incautious 
souls. You may find a stumbling-block or a traitor 
in a trusted friend. Piety and devotion are no se- 
curity. Virtue was not a shield to David, wisdom 
did not save his son Solomon, and the strength of 
Sampson could not resist the deceitful charms of 
Dalila. The virgin, Dina, was brought to grief 
and shame by idleness and curiosity ; company is a 
temptation to many, solitude is a greater danger 
to some. Our most dangerous enemies are our own 
passions. Food, drink and even sleep are the fuel of 
lust, which is the domestic enemy of our soul. The 
first fall generally drags to a second, which paves 
the way to a third ; thus the habit of vice is soon 
formed, that will be found harder to break than 
chains of steel. 

IV. Intrench yourself, then, within the bulwark 
of God's holy fear ; keep your soul in humility, for 
to the humble God gives his grace Watch the ave- 
nues of your senses. Guard, more especially, the 
phantoms of your imagination, and, above all, the 
affections of your heart. Pray often; but pray 
more promptly and devoutly in time of temptation, 
lest you fall. Reflect seriously on the horrible 
scourging which your divine Saviour endured on 
account of carnal sins. Cast yourself at His feet, 
and entreat Him to extinguish with His blood the 
flames of concupiscence. By fidelity in these holy 
practices, you will keep away from your heart the 
spirits of lust, and preserve unsullied the beautiful 
lily of chastity. 

If, however, dear reader, you have had the sad 
misfortune of falling into this sin, and of contracting 
this vicious habit, humble yourself, and cry to God 
for mercy. Like the humble and penitent Magdalen, 
cast yourself at the feet of your scourged and bleed- 
ing Saviour. He will heal the wounds of your 
sins, and wash away their stains with His precious 
blood. He never despises a truly humble and 
contrite heart. He will surely forgive your past 



250 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



transgressions, as he forgave Magdalen, if, like her, 
you are resolved never to offend Him again. Make 
now at His feet this resolution: promise Him to do 
penance for your sins, chastise that body which has 
rebelled against your soul and against your God, and 
inflicted so many bloody lashes upon His divine 
Son, your loving Redeemer. Resolve to make any 
sacrifice which your circumstances may require. 
Keep away from the occasion of sin ; fly from that 
amusement which defiles the purity of your soul. 
Give up that company that is a stumbling-block to 
your chastity. Renounce that friendship, place, or 
occupation, how pleasing or profitable it may be, 
which is for you an immediate occasion of offend- 
ing God and endangering your eternal salvation. 
" What will it profit a man if he gain the whole world 
and suffer the loss of his ozvnsoul" (M&tt. xvi, 26.) The 
object of your affection may be as dear to you as 
the pupil of your eye, useful to you as your feet, 
and as necessary as the hands ; yet if any of these 
become an occasion of sin to us, we are commanded 
to pluck out the eye, and cut off the hand and foot, 
rather than, by preserving them, we offend God and 
are eternally lost. (Matt, v, 29.) Meditate deeply 
upon these divine words ; see how far they relate to 
your case, make your resolutions accordingly. If 
the sacrifice demanded is hard and painful, fix your 
eyes upon your Saviour at the pillar, look at His 
wounds, behold His blood, consider His sufferings 
endured for your sins. The pang of your sacrifice 
will soon pass. Peace and happiness will be restored 
to your unhappy soul, and the kingdom of heaven 
will be your eternal reward. 



Third Point. 



L Consider that the meekness and patient resigna- 
tion of our dear Lord, during the bloody scourging 
at the pillar, are intended to teach us the practice of 



Practical Reflections, 



251 



self-denial and penance. He allowed His body to 
be scourged, because it was the will of His Father, 
" who laid upon Him the iniquity of us ally (Isa. liii, 
6.) If, in punishment of our sins, God afflicts us 
with sickness, or with some other humiliation and 
trial, let us humbly recognize the justice of His judg- 
ment. God chastises in mercy ; He either desires 
our conversion or our purification. When we feel 
the strokes of His divine hand, we should examine 
our conscience. If we are guilty, let us speedily 
repent, and humbly kiss the hand of the heavenly 
physician who seeks our spiritual cure. Many 
sinners have, through sickness and trials, been con- 
verted and saved. King Manasses is an instance. 
(2 Paralip. xxxiii, 12.) Dimas, the thief, was con- 
verted and saved through the Cross. Let us say 
with the penitent King David : " It is good for me 
that thou, O Lord, hast humbled me, that I may learn 
thy justifications (Ps. cxviii, 71.) If, however, we 
are not actually guilty of grievous sins, we may 
have many wilful venialities to atone for either in 
this life or in purgatory. It is a great mercy of 
God to save us from the terrible fire of purgatory 
through the brief trials of this present life. 

II. Moreover, we should not forget our past sins. 
Penance is indispensable for sinners. " If we say that 
zve have not sinned, we deceive ourselves, and the truth 
is not in us." (1 John, i, 8.) If we have sinned, pen- 
ance becomes necessary for our salvation, for our 
Lord says : " Except ye do penance, you shall all like- 
wise perish!' (Luke, xiii, 5.) We should not fall into 
the fatal error of heretics, who pretend that the 
sufferings of our Lord's passion emancipate Chris- 
tian sinners from the duty of penance. During 
the passion, our Lord prepared the medicine ; but, if 
we wish to be cured, we must consent to drink the 
bitter potion of the chalice: " For Christ suffered for 
tcs, leaving us an example that zve should follow his 
steps," in the way of voluntary sufferings and pen- 
ance. (1 Pet., ii, 21.) Hence our Lord says: "Who- 



252 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



soever doth not carry his cross, and come after me, can- 
not be my disciple." (Luke, xiv, 27.) Jesus Christ, as 
the head of the Church, has fully atoned for the 
sins of all mankind, but each member of the Church 
must voluntarily apply these sufferings to himself. 
Hence St. Paul says : " / rejoice in my sufferings 
for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of 
the sufferings of Christ in my fleshy (Col. i, 24.) 
" Christ having therefore suffered in the flesh, be you 
also armed zvith the same thought." (1 Peter, vi, 1.) 

III. The thought with which we should arm our- 
selves is this, that, if the justice of God required 
that Jesus innocent should suffer a most bitter passion 
for our sins ; we, the real sinners, should not be 
dispensed from the obligation of doing penance. 
This word penance grates harshly upon the ears oi 
effeminate Christians, but it is an indispensable con- 
dition for all poor sinners who truly desire to be 
saved. We should reflect that those whom God 
has predestinated to glory, have, during life, to be 
made conformable to the image of his Son. (Rom. 
viii, 29.) We have to engrave this divine image up- 
on us by our frequent meditation on the passion of 
our Lord, and by the faithful imitation of his suffer- 
ings and humiliations. Hence St. Paul says, "that 
those who are Christ's true disciples, have crucified 
their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences." (Gal. 
v, 24.) This holy apostle practised what he preached. 
" / chastise my body," he says, " and bring it into 
subjection : lest, perhaps, when I have preached to others, 
I myself should become reprobate." (1 Cor. ix, 27.) 

If, in our want of fervor, we have not the manly 
courage to imitate this holy apostle, and all the 
great servants of God, in practising voluntary pen- 
ances ; let us, at least, resolve to bear with Christian 
patience the trials inseparable from our condition of 
life. Let us remember that crosses and sufferings 
are the portion of the elect in this life upon earth. 
The holy Ghost says : " Son, when thou contest to the 
service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and pre- 



Practical Reflections. 



253 



pare thy soul for temptation." (Ecclus. ii, 1.) This warn- 
ing is very opportune for us in these critical times of 
general persecution and trial, " when all who will 
live piously in Christ Jesus," shall have to suffer from 
the malice and hatred of the numerous and powerful 
enemies of His holy name and religion. ( 2 Tim. iii, 
12.) Woe to those who neglect this timely warning ! 
Happy those who, by voluntary self-denial and mor- 
tification, prepare their soul for temptation: " Blessed 
are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake : for 
theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you when 
men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say 
all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 
Rejoice and be exceeding glad, because your reward is 
very great in heaven." (Matt, v, 10.) 



Prayer. 

Most loving Saviour of my soul ! Thy ardent thirst 
for sufferings should now be fully satisfied. The 
baptism of blood with which Thou didst desire to 
be baptized for my sake, has been most copiously 
administered to Thee during the scourging at the 
pillar. I behold Thee covered from head to foot 
with wounds and blood. O divine Lamb of God, 
innocent Victim ! Thou hast endured for me the 
punishment due to my crimes. Thy sacred body 
is covered with wounds, because my soul was 
covered with the leprosy of sin. Thy divine blood 
is shed, O my Jesus ! to wash away the deep stains 
of my sins, which defile my soul. Merciful Saviour, 
suffering Jesus ! I cast myself at Thy feet to kiss the 
ground soaked with Thy precious blood, wishing 
to mingle with it the tears that flow from a 
truly humble and contrite heart. 1 am sorry for all 
my sins because they have been the principal cause 
of thy passion ; but I detest in a special manner 
all my sins of sensuality, which have so cruelly 
scourged Thy sacred, innocent body. In Thy deep 



254 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



and gaping wounds I behold the malice of those 
sins, which my sensuality and passion have kept 
hidden from my soul. This horrible sight over- 
whelms me with confusion and sorrow. I feel 
ashamed of my past conduct, and should dread the 
severity of Thy justice. But Thou, who forgavest 
David and Magdalen, and other sinners like myself, 
wilt Thou refuse mercy to me ? Every wound of 
Thy body pleads eloquently in my behalf. Thy 
sacred blood is the price of my redemption, and the 
pledge of my pardon. May this blood purify my 
soul, and Thy sufferings, O divine Saviour ! infuse 
in my heart the spirit of compunction and penance. 
I desire to satisfy Thy justice, I wish to have my 
due share in the sufferings of Thy passion, because 
my carnal sins have intensified the severity of Thy 
flagellation. Punish, then, in mercy, chastise, dear 
Jesus, this body of sinful flesh during life, that it 
may be spared in eternity. Expel from me the 
demon of sensuality and lust. Give me Thy spirit of 
self-denial and mortification, that, having crucified my 
rebellious flesh with all its vices and concupiscences, I 
may deserve to die with thee on the cross of penance, 
and rise with Thy elect at the glorious resurrection 
to be united with Thee for all eternity in heaven. 

Most holy Virgin Mary, Mother of my Saviour ! 
I entreat you by the grief which you experienced 
at the scourging of your divine Son, to obtain from 
Him the full pardon of my sins. As the sight of 
His wounds and sufferings caused an agony of sor- 
row in your maternal heart, so obtain for me a 
lively sorrow and detestation for all my sins, and 
the spirit of true contrition and penance. Concen- 
trate in my heart all the wounds of His mangled 
body, and unite your maternal tears with His sacred 
blood, to heal the wounds of my sins, and wash 
away their stains from my soul. Thus united in 
grief with your immaculate heart, and in sufferings 
with your divine Son's body, I may never be sepa- 
rated from your company in time or eternity. Amen. 



Jesus Crowned with Thorns 



255 



XVI. CONSIDERATION. 



Jesus is crowned with thorns and derided 



Voice of Jesus. 

The Jewish priests and magistrates had accused 
me to Pilate as guilty of high-treason in having 
attempted to make myself a king. Though this 
accusation was false and calumnious, yet it was 
turned by my enemies into a pretext for inflicting 
upon me unheard-of tortures and most profound 
humiliations. Instigated by the malice of the devil, 
some of the pagan soldiers, during the scourging, 
invented a new instrument of torture for me, which 
had never before been used against any public crim- 
inal. They formed a crown of long and sharp 
thorns in the shape of a helmet. With cruel skill, 
these thorns had been woven and turned inside this 
horrible crown. 

Immediately after the scourging, I was rudely 
dragged into the court of the governor's palace. 
Stripped once more of the tunic, which with diffi- 
culty, I had just attempted to put on, I was made 
to sit down upon a cold stone, which the execution- 
ers designated as my kingly throne. Then, amidst 
the shouts of derision from the surrounding crowd 
this thorny diadem was placed upon my head. 
Two of the tallest and strongest pagan soldiers 
stationed themselves at my right and left side. 
They took hold of the extremities of a thick, 
knotted stick, which they crossed over my thorny 
crown, and pressed this down in different directions 
with such force and violence, as to cause the inter- 
nal thorns to pierce the skin, penetrate the skull 
and torture my brain. Some of the longest thorns 



256 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



tore all the delicate tissues of my head, forcing their 
way out through the occiput ; whilst others, under 
the hard pressure of the executioners, took an 
opposite direction, and their points could be seen 
projecting through my forehead and temples. 

Consider, my child, that the head, and particularly 
the brain, is the most delicate and sensitive part of 
the human body. The head is the seat and centre 
from which all the muscles, nerves, veins and 
arteries spread and branch out through every limb, 
member and organ of our body. The brain is, in a 
special manner, connected with the heart. These 
two most sensitive vital organs strongly sympathize 
in all their affections of joy or pain. Any slight 
pricking of the brain is sufficient to cause to any 
man intense sufferings, convulsions, swoons and 
apoplectic fits. Imagine, then, my child, what 
agonizing pain that terrible crown of sharp, long 
thorns must have produced through every limb 
and member of my most refined and delicate body. 
Reflect, finally, that all these my great sufferings 
were, as to a common centre, directed and com- 
pressed on my palpitating heart, submerging it 
in a flood of overwhelming anguish. 

This, however, was only a part of my sufferings. 
Tarry with me and watch the conduct of my enemies. 
Behold how contemptuously they throw over my 
bleeding shoulders an old military cloak ! A reed 
is thrust between my hands which are tightly bound 
with a cord, saturated with my blood during the 
scourging. Behold, my child, behold thy King, 
he King of kings, with a reed of derision in my 
manacled hands as my sceptre : a filthy scarlet rag 
on my shoulders for my kingly mantle ; a crown of 
sharp thorns on my suffering head as my royal 
diadem ; my imperial throne a cold and hard stone. 
Ah ! my child, only a heart of stone could look at 
me without emotion. 

But, alas ! no feeling of humanity, no sentiment of 
compassion is manifested by my numerous courtiers 



Jesus Crowned with Thorns. 



257 



who surround me on this painful and humiliating" 
occasion. See what insulting attitudes of profound 
contempt they all assume towards me. Listen to 
their expression. They shock my ears with coarse 
ribaldry, they vent upon me the most opprobrious 
epithets. Look how they rudely snatch the bloody 
reed from my hands, and repeatedly strike with it 
the crown of thorns, causing a thrill of pain through 
my whole body, and a pang of agony in my afflicted 
heart. They slap my face, and disgorge their dis- 
gusting phlegm upon my countenance, which my 
holy prophets desired to see, and my angels adore. 
Look how these impious men bend their knees to the 
ground, red with my blood, and mockingly salute 
me as King of the Jezvs, amidst a shout of applause 
from the surrounding crowd. 

Behold, my child, the prophetic vision of Isaias 
is fully realized in me on this memorable occasion. 
I, the most beautiful of the sons of men, am now so 
horribly deformed, that my most intimate relations 
could no longer recognize me. My blood runs 
copiously from every part of my perforated head 
and face, and trickles down in large drops upon my 
wounded shoulders and bruised and swollen chest. 
So many streams of blood are flowing from my head 
in every direction, as to soak my hair, saturate my 
beard, cover my face, and fill my eyes in such a 
way, that, to look at any object, I am obliged, by 
compressing the eyelids, to force the blood out of 
them. (St. Bridget Revel, lib. iv, c. 7.) 

Look at me attentively, my child, and meditate 
on the words of my prophet. This is the special 
request that in my present condition T make to 
thee. " There is no beauty in him, nor comeliness ; 
and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, . . . 
Despised and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, 
and acquainted with infirmity. His look was, as it 
were, hidden and despised. . . . Surely he has borne 
our infirmities, and carried our sorrozvs ; and we 
have thought him, as it were, a leper, and as one struck 



258 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

by God and afflicted. . . . But he was wounded for 
our iniquities and bruised for our sins. . . . The 
Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all." (Isa. 
liii, 2-6.) 

PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider, Christian soul, that our Lord Jesus 
Christ wished to be crowned with a thorny diadem, 
and wear it upon His head during the rest of His 
painful passion, until He expired on the cross, as 
the King of sorrows. Jesus our Lord was in the 
old law prefigured by the mysterious emissary-goat. 
(Lev. xvi, 8.) By accepting the crown of thorns 
upon His adorable head, He assumed the punish- 
ment of the malediction which God pronounced 
against the earth, on account of Adam's sin, when 
He said: " Cursed is the earth in thy work: thorns 
and thistles shall it bring forth to thee!' (Gen. iii, 18.) 
Thorns and thistles were not originally planted by 
God upon earth ; they are the products of man's sin, 
and the emblem of God's curse. Now, our merciful 
Saviour, in assuming the crown of thorns, wished us 
to understand that He took upon Himself the curse 
and the responsibility of our sins. " The crown of 
thorns," says holy Bede, " designates the assumption 
of our sins, which are like thorns produced by the 
soil of our heart." (St. Bede, Catena in John, xix, 2.) 

II. The passion of our Lord is full of mysteries. 
It is the greatest work of God's power and wisdom, 
as St. Paul says. As the passion of our Lord is in 
its general object intended to atone for sin, and de- 
stroy its dominion upon souls ; so the different kinds 
of our Saviour's sufferings are directed to the atone- 
ment and destruction of some special vice. In our 
previous meditation on the scourging, we saw our 
Redeemer bound to the column and atoning for our 



Practical Reflections. 



259 



sins of sensuality and lust. Now, at the crowning 
of thorns, He assumes indeed all our sins ; but be- 
cause all sins are first conceived in our head and con- 
sented to in our mind, so He principally endured 
this torture in atonement for our sins of thought. 

Many Christians make little account of the sins 
of thought and affection. Yet two of the ten com- 
mandments forbid internal sins. The Holy Ghost 
teaches that "perverse thoughts separate the soul from 
God." (Wisd. i, 3.) In fact, evil thoughts and sinful 
affections by their nature corrupt more immediately 
the heart, and defile the soul more directly than 
bad actions. The malice of sin is derived from the 
knowledge of, and from the consent of the mind to, 
evil. In short, all sins are first conceived in the 
head and consented to in the soul. " Every man is 
tempted, being drazvn away and allured by his own 
concupiscence. Then, when concupiscence hath con- 
ceived, it bringeth forth sin." (James, i, 14, 15.) It is 
with the will that we do good or evil, St. Augustine 
says. The organs, senses and members of the body 
are only the instruments used by the soul in her 
external deeds. Hence, the deed is not the cause, 
but the consequence of our internal sins. Moreover, 
for the accomplishment of exterior acts many cir- 
cumstances of time, place, means and persons are 
required, which are not necessary for the commis- 
sion of internal sins. Again, external sinful actions 
will often bring upon the sinner temporal losses, 
disgrace, infamy and many other human punish- 
ments, to which internal sins are not subject. 
Hence, internal sins are incomparably more frequent 
than exterior crimes. Lastly, it is certain that all 
sins originate in the mind. It is with the will that 
we consent to sin. Every sin is an internal rebel- 
lion of the human will against God's eternal law. 
Now, the brain is the organ of intelligence and 
will. The head is the workshop of the mind. The 
brain is the laboratory of the soul. This head, 
this human brain deserved, therefore, a special 



260 



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punishment. Behold here the solution of the mys- 
tery of our Saviour's crown of thorns. 

III. Jesus is crowned with sharp thorns on His 
own adorable head to punish the sinful thoughts by 
which we have offended God, and defiled our soul. 
Numerous thorns pierce and torture His blessed 
head, because we have harbored in our heads many 
evil thoughts of different kinds. Thoughts against 
faith, thoughts of presumption, or despair, impious 
and blasphemous thoughts against God, have pro- 
duced the longest and sharpest thorns that torment 
the sacred head of your divine Saviour. Your 
habitual dissipation of mind, your forgetfulness of 
God's holy presence, your voluntary distractions in 
prayer, are the reed with which, like His cruel 
executioners, you strike His thorny crown. Un- 
charitable thoughts against our neighbor, rash 
judgments, feelings of envy and jealousy against 
our fellow-Christians, are the cruel thorns that tor- 
ture our Saviour's head. Those frequent thoughts 
of pride, ambition, vainglory, sensuality and lust, 
have produced that thorny bush from which the 
crown of thorns has been formed, that pricks and 
wounds the head of the Son of God. 

Whilst you are contemplating the sufferings of 
your Saviour crowned with thorns, enter into your 
heart and examine therein what are the evil thoughts 
that more frequently occupy your mind. Conceive 
a great sorrow for them. Ask with sincere humil- 
ity your Saviour's pardon ; and firmly resolve, for 
the future, to watch over your heart, and promptly 
to banish from your head every imagination or 
thought that may be displeasing to God and increase 
the sufferings of your loving Redeemer, crowned 
with thorns as the King of sorrows. It is only in 
this practical way that we can render our spiritual 
reading, or meditation on the passion of our dear 
Lord, pleasing to Him, and profitable to our soul. 



Practical Reflections. 



261 



Second Point. 

Consider, Christian soul, what is the sceptre that 
wicked men have prepared for the sovereign King 
of heaven and earth. Alas ! it is only an empty 
and frail reed, the symbol of vanity, instability, 
weakness and contempt. This is the sceptre given 
to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, the 
Creator and Lord of the universe, the King of kings, 
whose throne is eternity, whose real sceptre is 
omnipotence, whose glory is infinite wisdom and 
majesty. The first time that this universal Monarch 
deigns to visit mankind upon earth, He receives a 
reed as a sceptre of insult and contempt. 

But let us examine this reed, and we will discover 
two profound mysteries in it. One has relation to 
our Lord Jesus Christ, the other to ourselves. 

I. When asked by the Roman governor, Pilate, 
whether He was the King of the Jews, our Lord 
answered : "My kingdom is not of this world. If my 
kingdom were of this world, my servants would cer- 
tainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews, 
but now my kingdom is not from hence!' In these 
words our divine Saviour clearly indicated to Pilate 
that He was a king, but a king very different from 
he kings of the earth. Pilate, in fact, understood 
he meaning of these words in this obvious sense. 
*ence he said to our Lord, Art thou a king then ? 
Jesus answered : Thou sayest that I am a king, 
which is equivalent to these words : I am a king, 
as thou sayest, but not a king of this earth. For 
this was I born, and for this came I into this world. 
I was born a king, and came into this world to reign 
sovereign Lord and Master over all minds and 
hearts. My mission is to give testimony to this 
truth. " Every one that is of the truth heareth my 
voice." (1 John, xvii, 33.) 

Pilate was so deeply impressed with the grave 
solemnity with which our divine Lord uttered these 



262 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



words, that ever after, in private and in public, he 
addressed our Saviour as a king ; and official^ con- 
firmed this title, when, as the representative of the 
greatest empire upon earth, he calmly and delib- 
erately wrote this memorable sentence : a Jesus of 
Nazareth is King of the Jews." (John, xix, 19.) Now, 
according to all the prophets, to be King of the 
Jews at that time was the same as to be the Messias ; 
and the Messias was true God and man, and con- 
sequently the Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. 
Pause here for a moment to admire the wisdom 
of God. 

II. Within the space of a few days God has 
made the worst enemies of His divine Son publicly 
proclaim His merciful mission upon earth, His 
innocence and holiness, and His sovereign dignity. 
Our Lord's mission upon earth, as the Redeemer 
and Saviour of mankind, was announced by the 
supreme pontiff, Caiphas, who had given counsel 
to the Jews, that "it was expedient that one man 
should die for the people." (John, xviii, 14.) Caiphas 
said this not of himself : but being the high-priest 
for that year, he was made by God to pro- 
phesy against his intention that Jesus our Lord 
should die for the nation ; and not only for the Jew- 
ish nation, but to gather together in one faith and 
religion the children of God that were dispersed 
over the face of the whole earth. (John, xi, 50,) 
Behold here the divine mission of our merciful 
Redeemer publicly proclaimed by Caiphas. 

Our Saviour's innocence and sanctity were 
solemnly announced in a public assembly of all the 
chief priests and ancients of the people by a person 
who knew Him well. This was the apostle, 
Judas, who had lately betrayed his Master. Though 
this public confession of his treason was against his 
personal honor and coveted interest ; yet, seeing 
that our divine Lord was condemned, forced by the 
power of truth, and by remorse of conscience, Judas 
brought back the thirty sacrilegious pieces of silver 



Practical Reflections. 



263 



to the chief priests and ancients, saying : "1 have 
sinned in betraying innocent blood, and casting down 
the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, he departed" 
(Matt, xxvii, 4.) Jesus therefore is declared innocent 
and holy by His treacherous apostle, Judas. Lastly, 
we have heard Pilate proclaiming in a most solemn 
official manner that Jesus our Lord is King of the 
Jews, and consequently the Messias, God and man, 
and the universal Monarch of the world. Hence 
the three worst enemies of our Lord are, by the 
power of divine wisdom, made to proclaim Him 
publicly as the Redeemer of mankind, the most 
innocent and holy Son of God, the Messias and the 
sovereign King and Lord of the universe. 

III. These considerations should move us to admire 
the great power of God's wisdom and providence, 
in relation to our dear Saviour. Reflect that God 
wished the divine prerogatives of His incarnate Son 
to be proclaimed, that they may by all be recog- 
nized. He is our Redeemer. Let us be grateful 
to Him for what He suffered in the painful work 
of our redemption. He is the most perfect model 
of innocence and sanctity, given to us by God for 
our imitation. Jesus is our Lord, King and Master. 
Let us practically recognize His dignity by our 
homages, and submit to His holy laws by our obe- 
dience, and we should zealously promote to the best 
of our power His honor and glory. If, as His faith- 
ful servants, He permits our enemies to calumniate, 
despise and persecute us, let us trust our justifica- 
tion and protection to the power and wisdom of 
His divine Providence, " For no one hath hoped in the 
Lord, and hath been confounded!' (Ecclus. ii, 11.) 



Third Point. 

Let us consider a little more this great mystery 
of the Crown of Thorns. The enemies of our 
blessed Lord, instigated, as St. John Chrysostom 



264 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



says (Homil. 88. in mat/*) by the malice of the 
devil, intended to inflct upon Him the most pain- 
ful torture, and the deepest humiliations ever en- 
dured by any man upon earth. They deeply 
pressed on His head a crown of sharp thorns ; they 
thrust a reed between His hands, which were tightly 
bound with a cord ; they bent their knees before 
Him, offering derisive homage, as to a mock king. 
They heaped other gross insuits upon Him in sign 
of their utmost contempt, wishing to humble and 
degrade Him to the lowest degree in the estimation 
of men. If we look at exterior appearances only, 
we see nothing but intense sufferings and deep hu- 
miliations for our Saviour. Too many Christians 
stop at these appearances, consequently the passion 
of our Lord remains a sealed book for them. St. 
John wept when he saw this book sealed. (Apoc. 
v, 4.) But because, at his ardent desire, this mys- 
terious book was opened by our risen Lord, let us 
study it with profound attention. We shall learn 
that, as God used Caiphas, Judas and Pilate to pro- 
claim, in spite of themselves, the most glorious 
attributes of our divine Lord ; so, on the occasion 
of the crowning with thorns, He turned the malice 
of His barbarous executioners to His great honor 
and glory. 

I. We cannot suppose that these men treated our 
blessed Redeemer with so much barbarity and con- 
tempt, to punish His ambition for wishing to make 
Himself a king. They knew that He never at- 
tempted it. They were well aware that He refused 
this dignity when offered to Him by an admiring 
multitude. He was accused of this crime by the 
Jewish priests before the Roman governor, but 
these pagan soldiers knew that Pilate found their 
accussations false and calumnious. What, then, 
could have induced these men to treat our blessed 

* Diabolus erat, qui universos illos tunc occupabat, et quasi ad chore- 
am concitabat voluptatem ex contumeliis capientes. (St. John Chr^s. 
Homil. 88. in Matt.) 



Practical Reflections. 265 

Lord so cruelly as a mock king ? It could have been 
only the deep impression, which His conduct before 
and during His passion had made upon their minds, 
of His extraordinary holiness, dignity, and power. 
They had heard His great wisdom and eloquence. 
They had seen His miracles, and remarked His in- 
fluence upon the minds and hearts of men. They had 
been struck, during the terrible scourging, with His 
superhuman meekness, patience, and power of en- 
durance. They were forced by all this to consider 
Him an extraordinary being; hence they treated 
Him altogether differently from what they would 
have done to an ordinary man. By insulting our 
Lord as a mock king, the executioners gave evident 
proofs that they believed Him to be a being superior 
to all other men. They publicly testified that He 
reigned already in the estimation of their minds, 
though their wickedness and their malice rejected 
Him from their corrupt and cruel hearts. 

How many men of this description are found in 
this world ! Their natural wisdom, knowledge and 
experience show to them the truth, dignity, power, 
and influence of Catholic Christianity. Their minds 
are so convinced of these truths, that they envy and 
hate the power of the Church over men. This is 
the secret, well known to God, and even to some of 
their confidential friends, of their concealed or open 
hostility against the Catholic Church. Pride, 
ambition, self-interest, sensuality, and lust have cor- 
rupted their hearts, hence they reject and persecute 
the sanctity of a religion which condemns their 
vices. But, in so doing, they crown her with honor 
though in their malice they press upon her head a 
crown of thorns. In this they imitate the enemies 
of our divine Saviour. Let us return to them. 

II. Had Jesus, our Lord, been an ordinary man, 
He should, in order to become a king, have obtained 
[ from His fellow-men a kingdom, a royal throne, 
I. a kingly crown, a new purple mantle, and a golden 
sceptre, with a crowd of obsequious courtiers to do 

12 



266 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Him homage, and an army of brave soldiers to up 
hold His power and defend His dignity. His ene- 
mies hasten to invest Him with all these insignia 
of royalty, and offer to Him the homages due to 
this dignity. In their malice, however, they make 
use of these things to increase His sufferings, and 
their homages are given in derision and with the 
most profound contempt. But if their malice and 
cruelty are instigated by the devil, God turns their 
actions to the honor and glory of His divine Son. 
For He makes His worst enemies recognize and 
practically proclaim His kingly dignity and divine 
Majesty. Hence St. Ambrose says : " Though these 
men do not in their hearts believe in Jesus Christ, yet 
they honor Him in their actions, they crown Him as a 
victor, they do homage to Him as a king, they adore 
Him on bended knees as a God," (St. Ambrose, Com- 
ment, in St. Matt, xxvii, 29.) 

In order to understand more clearly this admir- 
able stroke of divine wisdom, let us imagine that 
the Jews and the pagan Romans, instead of being 
thd mortal enemies, had been the warm friends 
and admirers of our Lord. Suppose they had really 
given Him an earthly kingdom with all the usual 
insignia and supports of royalty : in this case, Jesus 
would have received all His dignity and power from 
men, upon whom He should have to depend like 
all other earthly kings. Obliged to enhance His 
dignity with the external appendages of throne, 
crown and sceptre, depending upon the will and 
strength of mortal men to support and defend 
His power, He could not be recognized as God, 
or the Redeemer of mankind. But when, without 
having received any earthly kingdom from any 
created power, we behold His very enemies forced 
to offer Him a throne, a crown, a sceptre, the royal 
purple and profound homage, though all this is 
done by them in mockery and derision ; then we 
are forced to conclude that He must be, not a 
human, but a divine Sovereign, independent of any 



Practical Reflections. 



267 



created will or support. "My kingdom is not of 
this world!' 

III. Reflect here, moreover, how appropriate to 
His dignity are all the insignia of royalty offered 
on this memorable occasion to our divine Sovereign, 
His throne is not made by human skill, like that of 
other kings ; it is a stone, the most solid portion of 
this earth, which His divine power has created. 
He had said through His prophets : " Heaven is the 
throne of my divinity, and the earth is the footstool of 
my humanity. Hath not my hand made all these 
things? " (Acts, vii, 49.) Admire here the power of 
God's wisdom, that uses the malice of our Saviour's 
enemies to install Him upon His earthly throne. 

Behold they crown His adorable head with 
thorns. But, in doing so, they make Him the Man 
of Sorrows, announced by Isaias as the Redeemer 
of mankind. (Isa. liii, 3.) Thorns having been 
planted upon earth by sin, thorns being the figure 
of God's curse upon earth, when the executioners 
place a crown of thorns upon Jesus' head, they 
become the instruments of our redemption, and 
are made, in spite of their cruel malice, the wit- 
nesses and the heralds of our salvation. By accept- 
ing from their hands the crown of thorns, our 
Redeemer assumed upon His head both the curse 
and the atonement of our sins. " The crown of 
thorns," says Theophilatus, "is the figure of our sins, 
which Jesus Christ abolished through His divinity, 
represented by His adorable head." (Theoph. Comm. 
in St. Matt, xxvii, 29.) Hence through this myste- 
rious crown of thorns the ancient curse is removed 
from the head of sinners : "In corona spinea maledictum 
solvit antiquum" says Origen. The malediction of 
God upon the sin of Adam, which produced the 
thorns and thistles of our earth, has been abolished 
by the crown of thorns placed on the head of His 
divine Son. " Maledictio in spinis ccepit, et in spinis 
desiit" (Grotius, in St. Matt, xxvii, 29.) u With this 
crown upon his head, our divine king goes forth to 



268 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



conquer this proud world, not with the atrocity of 
war, but with the humility of His sufferings." (St. 
Augustine, tract. 116, in Joan.) This is the victo- 
rious king, beheld in a vision by St. John, holding a 
sceptre in His hand with a crown on His head, 
sitting upon a white horse, "going forth conquering 
that He might conquer!' (Apoc. vi, 2.) 

Lastly, through the crown of thorns, our merciful 
Redeemer has delivered us from the wreath of the 
eternal ignominy and pain of hell due to our sins, 
and obtained for us a right to the crown of life and 
glory in heaven. "Spinea corona capitis ejus diadema 
regni adepti sumus" (St. Jerom. Comment, in St. 
Mark, xv, 17.) Behold how the malice and cruelty 
of our Saviour's enemies concur to His triumphs 
and to our salvation. 

IV. But let us proceed in our considerations. A 
king sitting on his throne, with a crown upon his 
head, should also have a sceptre in his hand. The 
kings of the earth have need of a sceptre of gold 
manufactured by other hands, because gold and 
wealth are the prop of their thrones, and the support 
of their dignity and power. Jesus, the King of 
kings, wishes to receive from His persecutors only 
a frail and empty reed for His sceptre. This reed 
is the work of His own creation. In His hands it 
is intended to show that the power of His omni- 
potence has no need of golden sceptres, or of material 
wealth for the government of His universal empire. 
The less God uses the instrumentality of creatures, 
the more His divine power is rendered manifest to 
men ; hence, as St. Paul says : " The weak things of 
this world hath God chosen that He may co?tfound 
the strong ; and the mean things of the world, and 
the things that are contemptible, hath God chosen, 
and the things that are not, that He might destroy 
the things that are ; that no flesh should glory in 
His sight." (1 Cor. i, 28.) With a weak and frail 
reed in His hand Jesus Christ makes all the powers 
of the world tremble, and shows to all the monarchs 



Practical Reflections. 



269 



of the earth that their golden sceptres, if not sup- 
ported by His divine authority and power, and 
wielded by them in His honor and service, are 
more empty, more unsteady, frailer, and more 
treacherous than a broken reed in their hands 
of flesh. 

The history of nations, monarchies and empires 
is the best proof of this solemn truth. Without 
God, everything is " vanity of vanities, and all is 
vanity y (Eccl. i, 2.) 

The monarchs of the earth are clad with a new 
purple mantle ; the enemies of our Lord contempt- 
uously throw upon His bleeding shoulders an old 
red military cloak. We discover three meanings in 
this action. First, this old, worn-out cloak shows 
that mankind is getting old and worn out by crimes, 
in the decrepitude of age. Secondly, our Saviour 
undertakes to bear upon His shoulders, and to atone 
for, the bloody deeds of persecutions and unjust 
wars waged by crowned tyrants and cruel men. 
Origen says : " Suscipiens Dominus coccineam clamy- 
dem in se sanguinem mundi suscepit" (Orig. tract. 35 
in Matt.) Thirdly, our blessed Redeemer, in accept- 
ing and wearing this purple garment, adorns Him- 
self with, and rejoices in, the heroic combats and 
glorious triumphs of His holy Martyrs. "Purpura 
etiam vestitur, cum de triumphis sanctorum martyrum 
gloriatur." (St. Jerome, Comment, in Matt, xxvii, 29.) 

V. Finally, the monarchs of the earth are sur- 
rounded by courtiers who pay homage to them. 
These homages are generally nothing else than 
hypocritical and empty flatteries to human pride and 
vanity. The same farce was played to our blessed 
Lord. St. Matthew says, " that the soldiers of the 
governor taking Jesus into the hall, gathered together 
unto him the whole band, and stripping him, they put 
a scarlet cloak about him, and platting a crown of 
thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his 
right hand, and bowing the knee before him, they 
mocked him, saying : Hail, King of the Jeivs. And 



270 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



spitting upon him, they took the reed, and struck his 
heady (Matt, xxvii, 29.) These pagan soldiers in their 
malice and barbarity intended to afflict and dishonor 
our divine Lord. But these cruel mockeries and 
insults are turned by God to the glory and triumph 
of our Redeemer. The holy King David had, in 
his Psalms, foretold this victory of God's wisdom 
over the enemies of His divine Son. " The Lord 
said to my Lord : Sit thou at my right hand, until I 
make thy enemies thy footstool." (Ps. cix, 1.) "Exalt 
ye the Lord, our God, and adore his footstool!' (Ps. 
lcviii, 5.) Let us repeat, then, with St. Ambrose: 
" Though these men do not in their heart believe in 
Jesus Christ, yet they honor Him in their actions; 
they crown Him as a victor, they do homage to 
Him as to a king, they adore Him on bended knees 
as a God." (St. Ambrose, Comment, in St. Matt 
xxvii, 29.) 

Who will not admire the power of God's wisdom, 
who can turn the malice and cruelty of His Son's 
enemies to His greatest honor and glory ? The 
passion of our Lord, meditated upon in this manner, 
opens a new book of heavenly wisdom to our minds, 
elevates our thoughts, expands and warms our 
hearts towards God. We begin to understand the 
sublime words of St. Paul, the great apostle of the 
passion, when he says : " We preach Christ crucified, 
to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Gentiles fool- 
ishness. But to them that are called, Christ is the 
power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Cor. i, 24.) 



Fourth Point. 

Consider the other reasons why our blessed 
Lord Jesus Christ consented to bear the indignities 
of the pagan soldiers when they bowed their knees 
in mockery to Him, and spat upon His face, strik- 
ing with the reed the crown of thorns upon His 
adorable head. 



Practical Reflections. 



271 



I. First our blessed Redeemer wished to atone 
for the sacrilegious mockeries of nominal Christians, 
who, for worldly motives and mere human respect, 
appear in His churches, and take part in His public 
worship, without believing in their hearts the 
sacred dogmas and holy mysteries of our religion. 
Very near to these are those men who pretend to 
believe in the Catholic faith, but persist in being 
members of secret societies, condemned and excom- 
municated by the Church. In the same category 
are those persons who hold offices or occupations, 
injurious to religion, justice, or public morality. 

II. There is a second class of persons that mock our 
divine Saviour in His own temple, and in His sacra- 
mental presence. This insult is offered to Him by 
worldly-minded Christians, who appear at public 
services with their hearts full of vanity, and seek to 
make their bodies the idol of universal admiration. 
For this end they select those churches and more sol- 
emn occasions, when their vanity can be more fully 
gratified. They carry in triumph to the church the 
most extravagant fashions of the day. They pur- 
posely delay their arrival until they can attract the 
attention of a more numerous and more select as- 
sembly. Others go to church more for amusement 
or fashion, than for motives of piety and devotion. 
They expect to see what may please their carnal 
eyes, or listen to some special kind of discourse or 
music that will gratify their material ears. They 
may have been particularly attracted by some of 
those vain musicians or singers that turn the temple 
of God into a profane opera-house. Alas ! it is for 
all these profanations of God's holy temple and 
worship, that our divine Lord had to endure in the 
hall of Pilate so many painful and humiliating 
mockeries and outrages. 

III. Finally, our divine Redeemer is mocked by 
those who take part in His public services from 
motives of vainglory ; by those who assist at 
mass, vespers, benediction, and other acts of divine 



272 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



worship without recollection or devotion ; by those 
who pray with their lips, whilst their heart is far 
away from God. Those more cruelly mock our 
blessed Lord, who receive Him in holy communion 
with a cold heart, and with a conscience defiled by 
sin and sacrilege. When we consider all this, we 
can not be astonished to see our divine Saviour 
undergoing so many mockeries, insults and humili- 
ations from pagan soldiers in Pilate's hall. 

Devout soul, are you not moved to pity and com- 
passion when you behold your holy Redeemer de- 
rided and outraged by so many impious men and 
bad Christians? He said to Pilate that, "if his king- 
dom were of this world, his servants mould certainly 
strive to defend him from the insults of his enemies" 
(John, xviii, 36.) We Christians believe Jesus to be 
the King of heaven and earth, yet we have no zeal 
for His honor and glory. We often behold Him 
offended and mocked by His enemies, and even de- 
rided in His holy temple, but human respect has 
more power over us, than the fear of God. Even 
some of His ministers are silent, when zeal for their 
divine Master's glory should oblige them to speak, 
and correct public abuses. . * Oh ! let us resolve to 
make some reparation to our blessed Lord by an 
increase of fervor and devotion at all the exercises 
of our holy religion, that men seeing our piety and 
modest recollection, they may glorify our heavenly 
Father, and may be moved to imitate our good 
example. 



Prayer. 

Divine Saviour and Master ! Thou didst say that 

" the hour comet h, and nozv is, when the true adorer shall 
adore the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father 
also seeketh such to adore him. Because God is a spirit; 
and they that adore him must adore him in spirit and 
in truth." (John, iv, 23.) Thou art God, like thy 



Practical Reflections. 



273 



Father. By becoming man, thou didst not cease to 
be God. Being God-man, Thou deservest to be 
praised, honored and worshipped by all creatures. 
Moreover, having assumed our human nature for 
the salvation of all mankind, all men should love and 
honor Thee. But, alas ! how ungrateful we have 
been to Thee ! We have scourged Thee at a pillar 
we have crowned Thee with thorns, we have mocked 
and derided Thee, we have been so impious and 
wicked as to spit on Thy sacred face. We continue 
to persecute and insult Thee in Thy temple and in 
the sacred tabernacle of Thy love and mercy. Thy 
holy angels are horrified at our conduct, and cover 
their faces with their wings, not to behold so many 
indignities offered by Christians to Thy divine Maj- 
esty. Alas ! alas ! so many crimes cannot be com- 
mitted with impunity. We believe that the many 
severe punishments which at this present time afflict 
the world, and those particularly that are directed 
against us, as Christians and Catholics, have been 
justly deserved by our want of faith and devotion 
to Thee in the Eucharistic sacrament by our irrev- 
erences during the awful sacrifice of the mass, and 
our thoughtless levity in Thy sacred temple. What 
wonder that many of our fellow-Catholics are de- 
prived by human impiety of blessings which have 
been abused ! What wonder that we are mocked 
by men, when we practically mock Thee by our 
conduct ! We have rendered ourselves unworthy 
of Thy sacred presence. We deserve to be entirely 
abandoned by Thee. But we know the great- 
ness of Thy mercy. Thy chastisements are inflicted 
in love ; they are sent to us for our humiliation 
and correction. We acknowledge their justice, and 
confess our guilt. Cast at Thy feet upon our knees, 
we adore Thy majesty, and crave Thy pardon. We 
acknowledge Thee as our King, and worship Thee 
as our Lord and God. We consecrate to » Thy ser- 
vice our body and soul, our mind and heart. O 
Jesus of Nazareth ! be Thou our Sovereign, and 



274 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



reign supreme over all our thoughts and affections, 
words and actions. May Thy kingdom come to 
establish forever Thy dominion over all men, that 
all mankind being united in Thy faith, may adore 
and worship Thee in spirit and in truth, together 
with the Father and the Holy Ghost, world with- 
out end. Amen. 

Most holy Virgin, daughter of the eternal Father, 
Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and Mother 
of Jesus ! worship in our name the most holy Trinity, 
and obtain for us the gift of reverence and devotion 
towards your divine Son, our Sovereign King, Lord 
and Redeemer. * 



* Read " The Mystery of the Crown of Thorns prefigured in the Old 
Testament, accomplished in the Passion of our Divine Lord, and revived 
in the Church, during the last seven centuries, with Practical Devotions ; 
by the author of this book." 




Ecce Homo, 



275 



XVII. CONSIDERATION. 



THE ECCE HOMO — JESUS IS SHOWN BY PILATE TO 
THE PEOPLE. 



Voice of Jesus. 

Through the scourging and crowning of thorns 
my body was so deformed with wounds and blood, 
that, when Pilate saw me in such a suffering con- 
dition, he was moved to deep compassion. Sup- 
posing the same feelings of humanity to exist in the 
hearts of the Jewish priests, magistrates and people, 
he led me to the lodge or balcony of the palace, 
facing a large square, where the people were 
assembled in great multitudes. As soon as I 
appeared, the eyes of all were turned upon me. 
They saw my head crowned with piercing thorns, 
which made the blood flow in streams upon my face. 
I wore the scarlet cloak upon my shoulders, which 
partly concealed my body. Pilate was standing at 
my right side. With his left hand he raised up the 
portion of the scarlet mantle nearer to him, and with 
an expression of deep compassion, pointing with his 
right hand to my wounded and bleeding body, he 
said aloud with a tremulous voice : "Behold the man /" 
I bring him forth to you, that you may know that I 
find no guilt in him. Look at him. See to what a 
deplorable condition he has been reduced. "Behold 
the man." (John, xix, 5.) The people saw my whole 
body covered from head to foot with large gaping 
wounds, red with blood. At this moving spectacle 
their hearts were touched with feelings of compas- 
sion. The chief priests and Jewish dignitaries, 
perceiving this favorable impression, immediately 
strove to check it. They cried out with a strong 



276 



The Voice of Jestis Suffering. 



voice : "Away zvith him, away with him, crucify him 9 
crucify him" 

Behold ! my child, I am the man going from 
Jerusalem to Jericho. I have fallen into the hands 
of cruel robbers, who have stripped and wounded 
me from head to foot. My priests and Levites 
have no compassion for me. (Luke, x, 31.) It is 
only a pagan man who represents the kind Samaritan. 
Pilate alone has some sentiments of humanity for 
me in my extreme sufferings. He speaks in my favor, 
he proclaims my innocence, he appeals to their 
principles of justice. He points to my wounds and 
to my suffering condition, to move their hearts to 
pity towards me. " Behold the man" he says. Man 
can have feelings of compassion for a beast, but no 
sentiments of pity for me, their God and Redeemer. 
Stop, my child, look at me and meditate upon this 
truth. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Whilst Pilate, from his high balcony, is showing 
to the Jews our Saviour crowned with thorns, 
wounded and bleeding all over His sacred body, 
to excite in them some feelings of compassion ; 
imagine that it is the eternal Father who presents 
His divine Son to you, saying: "Behold the man." 
Look at Him attentively. " Behold the man." This 
is my only begotten Son, whom I have sent upon 
earth in proof of my love for thee. Behold the man- 
God, destined to be thy Redeemer. Behold the God- 
man, the teacher of all truth, the model of all 
sanctity, whom I have given to thee for thy guide 
and example. Behold this man-God ! "He is my 
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him." 
(Matt, iii, 17; 2 Peter, i, 17.) Hast thou, Christian 



Practical Reflections, 



277 



soul, listened to His words of eternal truth ? Hast 
thou faithfully obeyed His commands? Hast thou 
acted in conformity to the sacred maxims of His 
holy Gospel? Hast thou followed His inspirations? 
Behold this divine model of all perfection. O Chris- 
tian soul! hast thou, in thy conduct, imitated His 
example? He is meek and humble of heart. He is 
modest and patient, He is charitable and forgiving. 
My Son is full of zeal for my glory. Examine thy 
daily conduct, and see how conformable is it to 
that of my beloved Son. Remember that all my 
elect, to enter heaven, and to be admitted to my 
presence, must bear upon them deeply impressed, 
and clearly expressed, His divine image. This is 
the mark of predestination, and the necessary badge 
of eternal salvation. " For those whom I foreknew, 
I also predestinated to be made conformable to the 
image of my Son!' (Rom. viii, 29.) 

II. My Son was a lover of solitude and retirement, 
of prayer and recollection, of mortification and 
penance. He despised earthly riches and perishable 
wealth, He hated pride and vanity. He shunned 
human honors, vain amusement and carnal pleasures. 
Look, Christian soul, look attentively at my Son 
Jesus, " the author and finisher of your faith, who, hav- 
ing joy proposed unto him, underwent the cross, despis- 
ing the shame ; and thus he sitteth on my right hand 
on the throne of his glory!' (Heb. xii, 2.) 



Second Point. 

I. Consider that, with this mysterious expression, 
Behold the man, Pilate intended to signify the deep 
emotion of his own heart. He evidently intended to 
say more, but being overcome by his feelings, Pilate 
uttered with difficulty these two significant words : 
Ecce homo, — "Behold the man." He was horrified at 
the barbarity with which our Lord had been treated 
by the soldiers. Their cruelty displeased and afflicted 



278 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



him ; he felt keenly the injustice and excessive sever- 
ity of the punishment inflicted upon an innocent 
man. He was anxious to save Him from further 
sufferings. For this end Pilate showed our Saviour 
to the Jews. He pointed out the excess of His 
sufferings, to move their hearts to commiseration, 
saying : "Behold the man. Look at his head crowned 
with thorns, look at his whole body covered from 
head to foot with wounds and blood. He has 
scarcely the appearance of a man. He cannot live 
long in this horrible condition, he will soon die. 
Even barbarians have compassion for a wounded 
and dying enemy ; the very beasts cease tearing a 
helpless victim : have pity on him. Behold the man." 

II. But because the Jews are towards our blessed 
Lord more cruel than barbarians, and more savage 
than beasts, let us turn our looks from them, and 
fix them upon ourselves. Let us apply these words, 
Behold the man, to our own advantage. Behold 
what our passions, sins and vices have brought 
upon this God-man ! Our pride has been the cause 
of His manifold derisions ; our vanity has covered 
Him with contempt ; our covetousness has stripped 
Him of His garments; our avarice has no compas- 
sion on His nakedness ; our sloth has bound the 
hands of Jesus with cords ; our envy has bruised His 
body ; our anger and hatred have wounded Him, 
and drunkenness is inebriated with His blood. O 
Christian man ! look at this man-God. See what 
glory is due to Him, what ignominy to thee. Be- 
hold the man who, for thy sake, is become "a worm 
and no man, the reproach of men, and the outcast of 
the people." (Ps. xxi, 7.) But thou, ungrateful to thy 
divine Benefactor, art totally forgetful of His suf- 
ferings and humiliations, and art only occupied in 
seeking with avidity riches, honors, and pleasures. 
Behold the man. Behold, in thy conduct, what man 
really is. 



Practical Reflections. 



279 



Third Point. 

I. Christian soul ! if these reflections have moved 
your heart, make an offering of your divine Saviour 
to His eternal Father. With profound humility 
and lively faith present to Him His divine Son 
crowned with thorns, and covered with wounds, 
and say to Him : Eternal Father, Behold the man y He 
is your beloved Son. Behold to what a pitiful con- 
dition the savage beasts of my sins have reduced 
Him. I confess before heaven and earth that the 
enormity of my crimes is too great to deserve your 
pardon. I could not dare to present myself before 
you, but I bring with me your divine Son, who has, 
in His infinite mercy, assumed my humanity, and 
has become the victim of propitiation for me, 
and for all mankind. Merciful Father, look at Him, 
and not at me. If I be guilty, Jesus is innocent. 
Behold the man. Respice in faciem Christi tui. — 
Make this offering with full confidence. The suffer- 
ings and the merits of your Redeemer immensely 
outbalance all your sins, and those of the whole 
world. Offer to the eternal Father the humility 
of His divine Son in atonement for your pride, His 
patience in satisfaction for your impatience ; to your 
anger oppose His meekness ; to your harshness, His 
sweetness ; to His charity, your hatred. Offer to 
the eternal Father the burning fervor of His Son's 
devotion and zeal, in atonement for your sloth and 
tepidity in His divine service. 

II. For all the sins committed with the faculties 
of your soul, offer to the eternal Father the afflicted 
soul of His divine Son ; offer to Him the sorrowful 
heart of Jesus in atonement for your sinful affections 
to creatures. For all the sins of sensuality and lust 
committed with your senses, oh ! present to the 
eternal Father the wounded body of Jesus with His 
head crowned with sharp thorns, and say to Him : 
Behold the man. Entreat Him to look at this divine 



280 



Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Victim, immolated for our redemption and salvation. 
Do this, Christian reader, with faith and devotion. 
Make these sentiments your own. Have confidence 
in the mercy of God. Reflect that it is this God of 
mercy who has given you His divine Son as your 
Saviour. He will gladly accept your devout offer- 
ing, if accompanied with proper dispositions. He 
will hear your prayer and grant your petition. 
From the Father turn yourself to His suffering Son, 
and address to Him the following prayer. 



Prayer. 

Most innocent Saviour, scourged and crowned 
with thorns for my sake! Thou art cruelly rejected 
by Thy people, because in Thee they see nothing 
but the deformity of my sins. Discarded by them, 
Thou imploringly turnest Thy looks to me. Thy 
tongue is silent, but every wound of Thy body elo- 
quently says : Behold the man. Behold how much 
thy Saviour has suffered for thee! Behold 
how great is His love for thy soul ! Wilt thou also, 
like the Jews, reject Him ? No, my Jesus, I will not, 
1 cannot reject Thy love, because I have need of 
Thy mercy. Come to me, then, divine Lover ! Come 
to me, merciful Saviour! With the precious balm 
of Thy blood heal the wounds of my heart, and 
cleanse the stains of sin from my soul. Cleansed 
and purified from sin, I embrace Thy sacred feet, 
like Magdalen, and wash them with my tears 
of repentance. I adore Thee as my God, I love 
Thee as my Saviour, I promise to serve Thee dur- 
ing my whole life as my sovereign King, Lord and 
Master. Take full and perpetual possession of my 
soul through the power of Thy grace, of my heart 
through Thy love. Chain my mind to Thee through 
Thy infallible faith, and my will with the authority 
of Thy holy law. Unite, suffering Jesus ! unite to 
Thee my body through the efficacy of Thy passion, 



Practical Reflections. 



281 



so that I may ever belong to Thee in soul and body 
during time and eternity. 

Most holy Mother of my Redeemer! you also say 
to me : Behold the man. This man is my Son. Look 
at Him and see what He has endured for thy sake. 
Yes, most sorrowful Mother ! both He and you 
have suffered too much for me. I beseech you, then, 
by the grief that your maternal heart experienced 
when your divine Son was exposed to the people 
by Pilate, and you heard them rejecting Him, to 
obtain for me the gift of His love, and after this 
exile to show Him to me full of majesty and glory 
in the kingdom of everlasting bliss, where, in your 
happy company, I may thank, praise, and glorify 
Him with all the angels and saints. Amen. 



282 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XVIII. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH BY PILATE. 



Voice of Jesus. 

Firmness and determination in executing justice 
and protecting innocence is an essential duty of 
every superior. The Roman governor, Pilate, be- 
lieved in my innocence, and was desirous of deliver- 
ing me from the hands of my persecutors. But 
he was weak and vacillating through human policy. 
The astute leaders of the Jewish people promptly 
seized this opportunity. Pilate's weakness made 
them bolder and more arrogant. They insisted up- 
on my condemnation. With an expression of in- 
dignation and disgust, Pilate said to them : " Take 
him you and crucify him ; for I find no cause in him." 
(John, xix, 6.) The Jews, in an attitude of defiance, 
answered : " We have a law ; and according to the 
law, he ought to die ; because he made himself the Son 
of God." (John, ibid.) 

These words made a deep impression upon the 
Roman governor; but his vacillation increased 
with his timidity. He feared to irritate the Jews 
by violating their law, if he protected my innocence; 
and dreaded the divine indignation, if he condemned 
me to death. He had been warned and entreated 
6y his wife to have nothing to do with me, because 
I was a just man, and because, on my account, she 
had suffered much in a vision on that morning. 
(Matt., xxvii, 19.) Bewildered and confused, know- 
ing not what to do, or what to answer, he ab- 
ruptly left the balcony and reentered the hall, 
and came to interrogate me, saying: " Whence 
art thou?" I gave him no answer, because justice 



Jesus Condemned to Death. 



283 



should protect any innocent person, whatever his 
origin may be. Justice is equality to all. My 
silence displeased the Roman governor, who, with 
an air of proud haughtiness, said : " Speakest thou 
not to me? ... . Knowest thou not that 1 have power 
to crucify thee, aitd I have power to release thee ? 99 
These words gave me an opportunity of confuting 
and correcting an erroneous maxim, too commonly 
admitted and acted upon by the princes of this 
earth. In their foolish pride they attribute power 
and authority to themselves, refusing to recognize 
God as the first source of all authority, power, and 
jurisdiction. This impious notion has been the prin- 
cipal cause of the worst evils that have afflicted 
human society. "All power comes from God." Hence 
I answered to Pilate : " Thou shouldst not have any 
power against me, except it were given thee from above.'' 9 
By condemning me to the death of the cross, thou 
wilt become guilty of a great abuse of thy power ; 
because there is no power against me, for I am jus- 
tice, holiness, and truth. But more enormous is the 
crime of those who have delivered me into thy 
hands, and so obstinately insist upon my condemna- 
tion, Pilate was naturally well disposed towards 
truth and justice. My answer being well received by 
him, it made a profound impression upon his mind, 
wherefore he resolved to make new efforts to effect 
my release. 

He returned to the lodge ; spoke again in my 
favor to the Jewish people ; he pleaded my inno- 
cence, described my sufferings ; but, instead of 
moving my enemies in my behalf, he only disap- 
pointed their expectations, and more grievously 
irritated their passions. They began to shout and 
cry aloud : " If thou release this man, thou art not 
the friend of Ccesar. For, whosoever maketh him- 
self a king, speaketh against Ccesar! 9 These words 
touched the most sensitive side of the Roman gov- 
ernor, who would on no account allow his loyalty 
to his imperial master to be suspected. He 



284 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



immediately commanded that I should be brought 
out again from the interior hall to the exterior 
lodge, where the judgment-seat was placed. He 
sat down upon it with great solemnity ; the shade of 
the sun-dial marked eleven o'clock. I was standing 
near him, at his left hand, with the crown of thorns 
on my head, as the king of sorrows ; my hands were 
manacled. I kept my eyes modestly cast down. 
Pilate, in a dignified attitude, with his right hand 
pointing to me, said to the Jews : " Behold your 
king!" They immediately cried out with great in- 
dignation : " Away with him, away with him! Cru- 
cify him." Pilate, with deep emotion, replied : "Shall 
I crucify your king? The chief priests answered : 
We have no king but Ccesar." (John, xix, 12.) 

The Roman governor seeing that he prevailed 
not with that perverse and stubborn generation, but 
that rather a tumult was made ; having a basin of 
water brought to him, washed his hands before the 
people, saying ; " / am innocent of the blood- of this 
just man, look you to it. But all the people ansiver- 
ing said: His blood be upon us, and upon our 
children." (Matt., xxvii, 25.) 

In consequence of the assumption by the Jewish 
nation of this terrible responsibility, Pilate deceived 
his conscience, considering himself free from guilt 
in pronouncing the sentence of death against me, 
for he added, "I am innocent of the blood of this just 
man" Then he gave orders that Barabbas, the 
murderer, should be released, and I, innocent and 
just, I, the author of life and grace, should be 
publicly crucified! My child, there is abundant 
matter here for serious consideration. Study my 
trial, consider my sentence ! I am going to die upon 
a cross for thee. 



Practical Reflections. 



285 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 



First Point. 

I. Let us, at His invitation, examine the trial of 
our divine Lord. We Christians believe in His 
perfect and absolute innocence and sanctity. Jesus 
is God from all eternity ; consequently, He was 
impeccable. He became man, to redeem and save 
us from sin. We are horrified, therefore, at His 
condemnation. 

The Jews could have no possible cause for His 
prosecution. They knew His unimpeachable inno- 
cence, long before they had begun this trial. Our 
Lord publicly challenged the scrutiny of His char- 
acter and conduct, and to accuse Him of any sin, or 
the least violation of the law, if they could. " Which 
of you shall convince me of sin?" (John, viii, 46.) 
"Think not" he continued, " that I am come to 
destroy the law or the prophets : I am not come to 
destroy, but to fulfil" (Matt., v, 17.) From His 
infancy, childhood, youth, manhood, to the present 
moment, not the least violation of the law could 
be brought against Jesus of Nazareth. But, on 
the contrary, He was found, on every occasion, 
most careful in the observance of all the Jewish laws 
and sacred ceremonies. He assisted, with exem- 
plary piety and devotion, at all their solemn festivals 
in the temple, and public prayers in the synagogue 
He obeyed His superiors, and promptly paid al 
taxes and tributes, even when His extreme poverty 
obliged Him to work a miracle to obtain the neces- 
sary money for Himself and His apostle, Peter. 
(Matt., xvii, 26.) The Jews well remembered the 
answer given to them a short time before, when our 
Lord said : " Give to Ccesar what belongs to Ccesar, 
and to God what is due to God," (Luke, xx, 25.) He 
was full of humility, He had no ambition for public 



286 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



dignities. He fled away, and hid Himself in a moun- 
tain, when He discovered that an admiring crowd 
oelieved Him to be a prophet, and wished to offer 
Him kingly honors. (John, vi, 15.) His persecutors 
knew all this. They knew that our Lord Jesus 
Christ never injured any public or private person 
by word or by deed. Finally, Judas, who betrayed 
Him, repented of his treason, and, in their presence, 
publicly proclaimed his Master's innocence. (Matt., 
xxvii, 3.) Why, then, in the name of justice, do they 
persecute this innocent man? why do they bring 
this just man to trial for His life, before the civil 
tribunal of the Roman governor? Alas! it is- not 
zeal for law, it is no love of justice. It is, on the 
contrary, secret envy, jealousy, and hatred, engen- 
dered by disappointed pride. 

II. The Jewish priests, scribes, and Pharisees 
persecute our Saviour on account of His superior 
virtue ; they are devoured by envy because of His 
eminent sanctity, because of His admirable wisdom 
and knowledge, because of His zeal for the glory 
of God, and the salvation of souls. They are embit- 
tered against Him by jealousy at His extraordinary 
success in preaching, at His numerous conversions 
of sinners, at His manifold and wonderful miracles, 
at the admiration in which He is held by the multi- 
tudes that follow Him everywhere through Pales- 
tine. Their plot is discovered. In their secret 
conventicle, the chief priests and Pharisees have 
conspired against His life and said : " What do we, 
for this man, Jesus, doeth many miracles ? If we let 
him alone so, all men will believe in him." (John, 
ii, 47.) The sanctity of Jesus is a reproach to 
their hypocrisy. The admiration with which He 
is regarded, disappoints their pride. Not to forfeit 
the esteem of the people, they are determined to 
deprive Him of life. They will make of Him an 
object of public contempt, by condemning Him to 
the infamous death of the cross. Behold the real 
motive of this persecution ! During the trial, every 



Practical Reflections. 



287 



law of equity and justice has been violated. His 
persecutors have suborned venal and perjured wit- 
nesses, who proved His innocence by their contra- 
dictions. They publicly impeached Him of several 
grievous crimes, none of which could be supported 
by the least shadow of proof. Before the Roman 
governor these wicked men manifested the most 
shameful disregard for consistency. First, they 
urged Pilate to confirm their sentence of death 
against our Lord, without preferring any accusation. 
Pilate refused to sanction such arbitrary proceed- 
ings, but they insisted by saying : "If he were not a 
malefactor, we would not have delivered him to thee." 
(John, xviii, 30.) This impertinent answer offended, 
rather than satisfied, the Roman judge. The Jews 
were obliged to specify their accusations. They 
made three distinct charges against our Lord. 
1st. They accused Him of impiety by uttering blas- 
phemies against God, and by making Himself the 
Son of God. 2d. They denounced Him as the 
corrupter of the people. 3d. They impeached Him 
as an ambitious rebel, refusing to pay the tribute to 
Caesar, and wishing to make Himself a king. 

III. Pilate examined our persecuted Lord, and 
found Him innocent. He knew that personal envy 
and hatred on the part of the Jews was the real 
cause of this bitter persecution. He publicly pro- 
claimed His innocence. The Jews clamored for His 
condemnation, they excited the feelings of the peo- 
ple against the Roman governor, they passed from 
one accusation to another, to see which made most 
impression on his mind. They tried him first about 
religion. " We have a law" they said, " and according 
to the law he ought to die, because he made himself 
the Son of God" Pilate promptly disappointed 
their expectations by answering: "Take him you, 
and judge him according to your law." (John, 
xviii, 31.) Foiled in this, but not discouraged, the 
Jews betook themselves to political charges, the 
last refuge of disappointed persecutors. They 



288 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



boldly said to the Roman governor : "If thou 
release this man, thou art not the friend of Ccesar." 
This plea is always successful with politicians. Not 
to lose Caesar's friendship, Pilate condemned our 
innocent Saviour to the death of the cross. What 
a sentence! what a trial! what perversity of jus- 
tice and judgment ! Behold to what excesses the 
passions of envy and jealousy led the unhappy 
Jews. Through a chain of sins, one necessarily 
linked with the other, they came to the horrible 
crime of deicide. Pilate became their tool through 
his vacillating policy. He wished to compromise 
irreconcilable principles. He did not like to dis- 
please the enemies of our Lord, and wished to 
shield His persecuted innocence. But, by defend- 
ing calumniated virtue, Pilate dreaded having his 
loyalty to Caesar suspected. He concluded to 
sacrifice justice, by condemning Jesus of Nazareth 
to the cruel and infamous death of the cross. 



Second Point. 

I. Consider the punishment of Pilate. In his 
conduct towards our blessed Lord, Pilate showed 
himself proud of his authority. Offended at the 
silence of Jesus, he said to Him with great haughti- 
ness : " Speakest thou not to me? Knowest thou not 
that I have power to crucify thee, and I have power 
to release thee?''' Our Lord warned him that he 
had received this power and authority from God, 
to whom he and all earthly superiors should have 
to give a strict account. " Give an account of thy 
stewardship. For power is given you by the Lord, and 
strength by the Most Higli, who ivill examine your 
works, and search out your thoughts and secret motives. 
. . . A most severe judgment shall be for them that 
bear rule. ... And a greater punishment is ready for 
the more mighty." (Wisd., vi, 4.) Like other earthly 
potentates, Pilate directed all his political sagacity 



Practical Reflections. 



289 



and influence to the perpetuation of his authority. 
He condemned our innocent Saviour to death, as a 
clever stroke of state policy ; because he expected 
thereby to secure the good- will of the Jews, and the 
approbation of Caesar. "But there is no wisdom, 
there is no prudence, there is no counsel against the 
Lord!' (Prow, xxi, 29.) Pilate soon found out his 
fatal mistake. A short time after our Saviour's 
death, he disagreed with the Jewish high-priests and 
magistrates; these accused him to the Roman em- 
peror, as guilty of treason. He was immediately de- 
posed from his cherished dignity, recalled to Rome, 
and sent an exile to France, where he died broken- 
hearted. Behold the folly of human wisdom ! Be- 
hold the punishment of am bition, pride and injustice ! 
Pilate lost his dignity and authority through the 
iniquitous means that he used to preserve it. Shall 
we learn true wisdom from this terrible example? 
Look now at the contrast in the person of Claudia 
Procula, the pious wife of Pilate, who entreated him 
not to condemn our Saviour. She was converted 
by St. Paul to Christianity, and is mentioned by him 
with honor, together with the holy martyrs, Ebulus, 
Pudens, and Pope Linus. (2. Tim., iv, 21.) She is 
honored as a saint in the Greek martyrology. 
Lucius Dexter, in his Chronicles, 34th year of our 
Lord, says : ' Claudia Procula, wife of Pilate, in- 
structed in a vision, believed in Christ, and obtained 
eternal salvation." The learned Cornelius a Lapide 
confirms this opinion in his Commentary in Mat- 
thew, xxvii, 19. 

II. These two examples so closely connected, 
should open our eyes. If we imitate the faith, * 
the piety, the zeal of Claudia, we shall receive her 
reward. Woe to those, however, who prefer to 
imitate the conduct of Pilate ! Through want ot 
principle and steadfastness to duty, they shall, at 
last, displease both men and God. We should 
remember that we cannot serve two masters, whose 
interests essentially clash. We shall inevitably be 

13 



290 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



crushed in the collision. Let us prudently avoid 
this calamity, by taking, with Claudia Procula, the 
side of Jesus. "For, if God be for us, who is against 
us?" (Rom., viii, 31.) 



Third Point. 

I. Consider the crime and the punishment of the 
Jews. If Pilate was guilty and severely punished, 
the Jews were greater criminals, and more terribly 
chastised. It was their malice that persecuted our 
innocent Redeemer. It was their envy and jealousy 
that calumniated Him. It was their diabolical 
hatred that condemned to death the most holy Son 
of God. Pilate discovered their malignant con- 
spiracy against our Saviour's life, and used every 
legal means to baffle it, but the Jews counteracted 
his efforts by the violation of every law. They 
brought venal and perjured witnesses to support 
their calumnies, they preferred the murderer Ba- 
rabbas to the divine Son of God. By threats of 
violence and by seditious tumults, by maliciously 
impeaching his loyalty to Cassar, the Jews forced 
Pilate to sanction the sentence of death, which they 
had already pronounced against our blessed Lord. 
But, if under the pressure of this violent proceeding, 
Pilate unwillingly consented to become the accom- 
plice of that horrible deicide, were the Jews less 
guilty, who obliged him to commit it? "Sed si reus 
quia fecit vel invitus — Mi innocentes qui cogerunt ut 
faceret? y \ . . (August, tract, in Ps. lxiii.) " Cer- 
tainly not "— "Nullo modo," says St. Augustine. 

II. Moreover, when Pilate manifested his disap- 
probation of their iniquitous conduct, washed his 
hands, and publicly declared his innocence of the 
blood of our just Lord, the Jews unanimously as- 
sumed the responsibility of the awful crime, saying : 
"Let his blood fall upon us, and upon our children" 
(Matt., xxvii, 25.) Perfidious nation, wicked parents, 



Practical Reflections. 



291 



wretched children ! No innocent blood can be shed 
with impunity. The most terrible calamities soon 
fell upon that accursed nation. Civil war tore it to 
pieces, famine and pestilence devoured its guilty 
people, parents saw their children dying of starva- 
tion. The destroying angel visibly appeared with a 
flaming sword, having its hery point directed against 
the doomed city. Rebellion against the Roman em- 
pire swiftly brought the Roman legions round their 
walls, inside of which the largest portion of the sur- 
viving Jews, from every part of the country, had 
taken refuge. After having suffered all the horrors 
of a close and protracted siege, devoured by 
famine, distracted by internal anarchy, the sacrileg- 
ious city was taken by storm and totally destroyed 
according to our Saviour's prophecy : "Amen, I say 
to you, there shall not be left here a stone upon a stone, 
that shall not be thrown downy (Matt., xxiv, 2.) 
The majority of its inhabitants were put to death by 
sword and fire, the rest were scattered over the face 
of the earth, to testify to all nations, during nineteen 
centuries, how heavily " the blood of deicide has 
fallen upon them and upon their unhappy children." 
But the most dreadful of all punishments is their 
rejection of the Messias, their stubborn obstinacy in 
their impiety, and the inevitable damnation during a 
miserable eternity of the vast majority of that guilty 
nation. Thus, the other more awful prophetical 
warning of our blessed Lord is verified, for He said : 
"Amen, I say to you, that many shall come from the 
east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, 
and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the 
children of the kingdom shall be cast out into exterior 
darkness : there shall be weeping andg nashing of teeth. 
(Matt, viii, 11.) 

Behold the crime and the punishment of the Jews ! 
The punishment has been long and severe, because 
the crime was the most atrocious ever perpetrated 
by man upon earth. It was committed with pre- 
meditated malice, it was consented to by the whole 



292 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



nation, it was consummated with the most barbarous 
cruelty. The sacrilegious murderers of the Son of 
God must bear the indignation of heaven, and the 
scorn of horrified humanity. 

But we should not exhaust all our indignation 
against the Jews. Every Christian sinner, by com- 
mitting mortal sin, renews again the passion of Jesus 
Christ, " crucifying again to himself the Son of God, 
and making a mockery of him." (Heb., vi, 6.) If 
to all this we add the horrible crime of sacrilege, 
by receiving the holy communion with our con- 
science stained with deadly sin, " we become guilty, 
like the Jews, of the body and of the blood of the Lord!' 
(1 Cor., xi, 27.) Now listen to St. Paul: " A man/' he 
says, " making void the law of Moses, dieth without any 
mercy tinder two or three witnesses. How much more, 
do you think, he deserveth worse punishment, who hath 
trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath esteemed 
the blood of the testament unclean^ with which he was 
sanctified, and hath offered an affront to the spirit of 
grace ? It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of 
the living God." (Heb., x, 29.) Unhappy wretches 
that we are ! we do all this, when we dare to make an 
unworthy communion. We fall into the hands of 
the living God, by the very fact that we receive Him 
unworthily. But if we have fallen like sacrilegious 
sinners, let us acknowledge our guilt, and humble 
our souls in repentance and sorrow. He who con- 
sented to embrace the traitor Judas, and to honor him 
with the endearing title of friend, after two bad con- 
fessions and one sacrilegious communion, and who 
would most readily have forgiven His fallen apostle, 
had he repented — oh yes ! Jesus will forgive us. He 
is the good shepherd going in search of sinners. 
" He came not to call the just," he says, " but sinners 
to repentance and penance." (Luke, v, 32.) Cast 
yourself at His feet with humility, and confidence, 
and say to Him : 



Practical Reflections. 



293 



Prayer. 

Thy enemies, dear Jesus, are inflexible in their 
wicked determination to put Thee to death. Thy 
sufferings have not touched their hearts, Thy blood 
hath not quenched their hatred. They cannot bear 
to see Thee alive, they wildly clamor for Thy im- 
mediate crucifixion. 1 am horrified at their savage 
cries : "A way with him, away with him ! Crucify him, 
crucify him!" O angels of heaven ! do you hear 
these blasphemies of human impiety ? Away, then, 
with the Author of life, away with the King of glory, 
away with the Creator of heaven and earth, away 
with the Saviour of mankind, away with the Son of 
the eternal God ! Let Him die, let Him be crucified ! 
O Jesus, innocent Victim ! who could ever have 
imagined that Thy chosen nation, enriched by Thy 
goodness with innumerable benefits, could have 
fallen into such paroxysms of impiety and malice, as 
publicly to clamor for the death of their Messiah 
in these horrible words: " Away with him, away 
with him ! Crucify him, crucify him ! 99 

But, alas ! my Jesus, that to my shame and con- 
fusion I have to acknowledge that I joined my acts 
with these voices, when I committed mortal sin. 
My faith teaches me that the demon of sin expels 
Thee from my heart. In consenting to sin, I prac- 
tically said :" Away with Jesus, away with Jesus, 
for the sake of a miserable creature ! Away with 
Jesus, for a criminal gratification of my passions ! " 
My pride, my ambition, my love of filthy lucre, my 
avarice, by their insane clamors, have drowned the 
feebler voice of my conscience, as the Jews over- 
whelmed the voice of Pilate, by shouting aloud, 
Crucify him, crucify him ! Azvay ivith him, away 
ivith him ! Ah ! }^es, yes, love of my heart, life of 
my soul! I kept Thee away from me, O divine 
Jesus ! as long as I continued to commit sin. But 
in Thy great mercy, Thou, patient lover of souls, 



2 9 4 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



didst not entirely withdraw from me. Thy light 
has opened my eyes, Thy grace has touched my 
heart I see the evil I have done, and I am filled 
with confusion and sorrow. I will now raise my 
voice, and cry aloud with all the powers of my 
soul. " Away with sin, away with sin !" Let sin be 
crucified by penance, that it may cease to live upon 
earth. O dilate ! listen this time to the clamors of 
the Jews, grant their petitions in my favor. Take 
away my Jesus from their cruel hands, give Him to 
me. I will receive Him in my arms, I will press 
His wounded body to my bosom, I will kiss His 
wounds with my lips, I will drink His precious 
blood out of the fountains of my Saviour, for the 
cure of my soul, unto the cleansing of my sins. I 
will kneel in profound adoration at the bleeding 
feet of my Redeemer, crowned with thorns for me. 
Louder than the Jews, I protest and proclaim from 
the bottom of my heart that, for the present and 
future, I will have no other king but Jesus of 
Nazareth. He will live in my soul, He will reign 
supreme in my heart. To Him I consecrate my 
whole being : my soul with all her powers, my body 
with all its senses, my health, my strength, my life. 
With Jesus and for Jesus I will live and die, to be 
united with Him in heaven during a blessed eternity. 

Mother of Jesus ! I am the perpetual servant of 
your Son ; watch with maternal care my present 
resolutions ! Obtain for me the gift of perseverance. 
Help me with your efficacious protection to remain 
faithful unto death in His service, that I may deserve 
to obtain the crown of eternal life. Amen. 



Jesus Carries the Cross to Calvary. 



295 



XIX. CONSIDERATION, 



JESUS CARRIES THE CROSS TO MOUNT CALVARY. 



Voice of Jesus. 

As soon as Pilate had pronounced the sentence of 
my condemnation to the death of the cross, I was 
immediately clad with my garments, and hurried 
from the governor's palace. A large and heavy 
cross was presented to me by the executioners, 
amidst the shouts of derision and bitter invectives 
of the jubilant crowd. The Jewish priests and 
magistrates, with the scribes and Pharisees, were 
particularly pleased at their sacrilegious success. 
Though wounded all over my body by the scourg- 
ing, and by the crown of thorns on my head, 
exhausted by the loss of blood, by fasting, by walking 
from the different tribunals of Caiphas, Pilate, and 
Herod, and back again to the Roman governor, 
having been kept standing all the morning; yet, 
when I saw that long-coveted cross, my heart was 
filled with joy, and I hastened to embrace it, kissed it 
with affection, and pressed it to my loving bosom. 
Its weight did not discourage me. My love for 
souls gave me new strength. The infamy of such a 
gibbet, which was looked upon with horror by men, 
did not abash me. The Jews considered it a curse, 
but by my touch I made it a blessing. The Gentiles 
considered it a shame ; through my blood I 
turned it to my glory. The cross is considered by 
all the most horrible of all torments, but in my 
hands it become the joy of my soul, the instrument 
of human redemption, the standard of my faith, the 
trophy ol my victory over sin and hell, the chariot 
of my triumph over all my enemies, the sure sign of 



296 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



predestination for all my elect. With these senti^ 
ments in my mind, I placed it on my wounded and 
bleeding shoulders, ready and anxious to carry it to 
Mount Calvary, wishing to sacrifice my life upon it 
for the redemption and salvation of mankind. 

The solemn procession was soon organized ; I was 
placed between two unhappy thieves, condemned 
to the death of the cross through their grievous 
crimes. The fierce executioners, with their instru- 
ments of torture, were near us ; a body of armed 
soldiers surrounded us ; some sheriffs opened the 
way through the noisy crowd ; several criers with 
shrill trumpets proclaimed to the public the sentence 
of our death. At this dismal signal, the gloomy 
procession started. My child, follow me ! I am going 
to Mount Calvary to die for thee ! 

The distance from the palace of the Roman gov- 
ernor to Mount Calvary was more than a mile. I 
carried my cross through the principal streets of 
Jerusalem, crowded with Jews from every part of 
Palestine and of the earth, having come to celebrate 
their annual paschal solemnity. I was everywhere 
received with shouts of derision, and made the butt 
of universal ridicule and insult. Like a meek and 
innocent lamb led to slaughter, I did not open my 
mouth ; I pitied the blindness of those people, 
prayed for them on the way, and offered all my 
humiliations and sufferings to my heavenly Father 
for their speedy conversion. 

The cross, my child, was very painful upon my 
wounded shoulders, now bleeding afresh. My 
strength was failing, every step cost me a great 
effort; my feet, trembling with weakness, refused to 
support me, and I fell heavily under the weight of 
the cross. The executioners rudely pushed me, and, 
with repeated blows, urged me to proceed to my 
destination. The efforts that I made, caused a pro- 
fuse perspiration, which, mixed with my blood 
flowing from my thorn-crowned head, covered my 
face. In this condition, I met my beloved Mother. 



Jesus Carries the Cross to Calvary, 297 

As the bloody sweat was flowing into my eyes, I 
could with difficulty see her; but I heard her well- 
known voice, trembling with emotion when she 
exclaimed : " O my Child, my beloved Son ! in what 
a state do I behold thee ! " In order to look at her, I 
had to wipe my eyes with one hand, while 1 held 
the cross on my shoulder with the other. In the 
paleness of her sweet countenance, and in the deep 
pain expressed in her looks, I read the excessive 
grief of her maternal heart. Our eyes met, I bowed 
to her my head crowned with sharp thorns, I wished 
to address to her a few words : but I was violently 
dragged and pushed away by the soldiers ap- 
pointed as my executioners. 

Near the city gate, called the Gate of Judgment, at 
the west side of Jer usalem, I beheld a group of pious 
women, some of them accompanied by their dear 
little children. As soon as they saw my pitiful con- 
dition, they burst into loud lamentations ; and the 
innocent children wept with their mothers. My 
heart was deeply moved at this spectacle of female 
piety and compassion. I halted for a moment, and 
addressed to them these words: "Daughters of Jer- 
usalem, weep not over me, but weep for yourselves and 
for your cltildren. . . . For, if in the green wood they 
do these things, what shall be done in the dry?" 
(Luke, xxiii, 28.) In these expressions I intimated 
to all my hearers the terrible punishments that were 
soon to be inflicted on their nation, and especially 
on the guilty city of Jerusalem, in consequence of 
their late imprecation before Pilate, "Let his blood 
fall upon us and upon our children!' 

My blood was actually falling upon that ungrateful 
soil; every impress of my feet upon that dry and 
dusty road was moistened with my blood. I was 
scarcely out of the city gate, when I became ex- 
hausted, and fell again fainting upon the ground. 
The executioners, fearing lest I should die before 
reaching Mount Calvary, seized a country laborer, 
called Simon, and forced him to carry the cross 



298 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



behind me. With this help I slowly ascended Mount 
Calvary, where we halted at the spot prepared for 
my crucifixion. 

My child ! a miracle of my divinity could have en- 
abled me to carry alone the cross to my destination ; 
but, in the work of redemption, I wished to have the 
cooperation of my elect. In the person of Simon 
of Cyrene, I confirmed my command that, "if any 
man will come after me, he should deny himself and 
take up his cross daily, and follow me" to final immo- 
lation on Mount Calvary. (Luke, ix, 23.) I go 
before my followers with my example, I support them 
with my grace, I crown their fidelity with eternal 
glory. 

PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Consider, Christian soul, the encouraging motives 
proposed by our divine Redeemer to animate us 
during life in the painful work of self-denial and 
voluntary mortification. In this land of exile we 
cannot avoid sufferings. Sufferings are the inevita- 
ble punishment of sin. As we are all children of 
Adam, so we must share with him the privations 
and sufferings of his exile. We cannot be delivered 
from this exile, unless we become the disciples of 
Jesus Christ, and we cannot be His disciples, if we 
are not willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross 
daily, and follow Him. 

Our Lord teaches that we must take up our cross. 
In company of our Saviour three crosses are carried 
to Mount Calvary. Jesus Christ carries His own 
cross. Two other crosses are carried for the execu- 
tion of two criminals. These three persons signify 
three classes of men. "Tres cruces, tres causes" St. 
Augustine says. The first is the cross of the just; 
the second is the cross of the penitent sinner ; the 



Practical Reflections, 



299 



third is the cross of the obstinate criminal. The first 
is the cross of Jesus Christ ; the second, that of Dimas, 
the penitent thief ; the third, that of his obstinate 
companion. All three had to suffer under, and to 
die upon, their own cross. 

This is intended to show how inevitable suffer- 
ings are for all men ; for, just, penitents, and sinners 
must carry the cross, suffer and die upon it. But 
observe the difference. Jesus Christ runs to em- 
brace the cross with affection, carries it with joy, 
dies upon it with glory. Dimas, the penitent thief, 
accepts it with humility as due to his crimes, 
endures his sufferings with patience, sanctifies them 
with his loving resignation, obtains a full pardon 
for his sins, makes the cross his ladder to paradise, 
and finally enters heaven in company with Jesus. 
The obstinate thief, on the contrary, intensifies his 
sufferings by his impatience, increases his guilt by 
his blasphemies, and, lastly, in despair he dies a 
reprobate. 

If you are just, suffer like Jesus ; carry your cross 
with joy; it will enrich you with merit, and exalt 
you near Him in glory. The love and grace of 
Jesus will render your cross light and sweet. If 
you are a sinner, imitate Dimas, the penitent thief: 
accept your cross with humility ; in penance for 
your sins, bear your sufferings with resignation, ask 
pardon from your suffering Saviour. He will gladly 
forgive you, He will rejoice in your conversion, He 
will sanctify and support you with His grace, and 
crown your perseverance with glory in the king 
dom of heaven. 

II. Beware of following the example of the ob- 
stinate criminal. By rejecting the cross, you shall 
increase your sufferings during life, you shall die in 
disgrace and despair, and shall be buried in hell 
like Dives, the sensual man of carnal pleasures. 

If you are wise, resolve then to be a true disciple 
of Jesus ; deny yourself, take up your cross daily, 
and follow Him faithfully, even unto death. A 



3°o 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



glorious and happy eternity will be your reward, 
exceedingly great. Salvation through the cross: 

" Per crucem salus" 



Second Point. 

I. Consider the thoughtful tenderness of our 
Saviour's heart. Jesus crushed under the burden 
of the cross, pierced with the crown of thorns, 
suffering in His whole body ; mocked and derided 
by a heartless crowd, rejected by the Jewish nation, 
hurried and dragged to death by cruel executioners ; 
yet, His tender, loving heart is touched and moved 
by the tears of compassion shed by some devout 
women. He who refused to speak to the incredu- 
lous high-priest, to the haughty King Herod, and 
to the Roman governor, now stops to converse 
familiarly with a group of pious women, who pity 
and bewail His sufferings and humiliations. With 
a heart full of tender charity, Jesus forgets His own 
sufferings, and strives to console those afflicted souls. 
He exhorts them not to weep for Him, but rather 
to weep for themselves and for their children, on 
account of the impending punishments which He 
predicts to them. (Luke, xxiii, 28.) 

Who will not admire the goodness of our Lord ? 
Who will not be astonished at the ardor of His 
charity for a nation and for a city that have been so 
ungrateful and so cruel towards Him ? Truly, all the 
waters of Jewish impiety and malice cannot extin- 
guish the flames of Jesus' love for His chosen people. 
When carried in triumph into Jerusalem, He does 
not rejoice at His own public honor, but He sheds 
tears at the reflection that His beloved city was to 
be destroyed. (Luke, xxi, 6.) Now He is driven by 
the Jews from Jerusalem to Calvary to be crucified, 
He is treated by them with the utmost barbarity; 
yet, on His way to death, Jesus thinks more of the 
impending punishments of His enemies, and the 



Practical Reflections. 



301 



terrible calamities they will have to endure on ac- 
count of their crimes, than upon His own actual 
suffering. He warns them in charity ; He exhorts 
them to tears of repentance before it is too late. 
Admire the charity of our Saviour's heart, have 
confidence in His mercy, for if Jesus suffering loves 
His persecutors, He loves more a penitent sinner. 
The most effective means for obtaining His pardon 
is, to imitate His mercy in forgiving your enemies. 
"Forgive, and you shall be forgiven" (Luke, vi, 37.) 



Third Point. 

L Consider more particularly the words addressed 
by our suffering Lord to the pious women of Jeru- 
salem : " Daugliters of Jerusalem, zveep not over me y 
but weep for yourselves, and for your children. . . . For 
if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be 
done in the dry ? " (Luke, xxiii, 28-31.) 

The literal meaning of these words evidently has 
reference to the long siege of Jerusalem under .the 
Roman general, Vespasian, and his son Titus. This 
siege was one of the most terrible recorded in history. 
It began a few days before the Jewish paschal 
solemnity, when, both on account of the feast, and 
because of the war with the Romans, an extraordi- 
nary number of the Jewish people had taken refuge 
in the doomed city. At least a million and a half 
of those wretched people were shut up within the 
walls of Jerusalem ; no adequate provisions had or 
could have been made. The siege lasted several 
years ; no person was allowed by the Roman army 
to go out of the city, which, in accordance with our 
Saviour's prophecy, had been surrounded by a deep 
trench, to starve the people to death, or force, them 
to surrender. Internal seditions destroyed the in- 
habitants, many died from starvation. In the de- 
spair of famine, grown persons snatched, like savage 
beasts, the food from the hands of starving children. 



302 



Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



A mother killed her baby, roasted his body, ate a 
portion of it, and reserved the rest. The smell of 
roasted flesh attracted to her house a crowd of 
hungry people, who were horrified at this unnatural 
atrocity. At last, Jerusalem was taken by the 
Roman army, razed to the ground by order of Titus 
in the month of September, thirty-seven years after 
our Saviour's crucifixion and death. More than one 
million one hundred thousand Jews perished on 
that memorable occasion. 

With reason our Lord could say to those pious 
women : "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me ; 
but weep for yourselves, and for your children. . . For 
if in the green wood they do these things, zv hat shall be 
done in the dry?" If the justice of my Father de- 
mands such excessive sufferings, which you bewail 
in me, His innocent Son, because I have undertaken 
in mercy to atone for the sins of your nation ; what 
punishment will the justice of an offended God in- 
flict upon a people, that, to all their former trans- 
gressions, now add the awful crime of crucifying 
their Messiah, their Saviour, their God ? " Ah ! weep, 
weep, daughters of Jerusalem, weep for yourselves, 
and for your children. . . Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem ! 
if thou also hadst knoivn, and that in this day, the 
things that are for thy peace, but now they are hidden 
from thy eyes. . . For the days shall come upon thee, 
and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and 
compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side, 
and beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who 
are in thee : and they shall not leave in thee a stone up- 
on a stone ; because thou hast not knoivn the time of 
thy visitation." (Luke, xix, 42.) 

All these threats have been literally accomplished 
on the guilty city of Jerusalem ; yet they were only 
a small portion of more protracted and more terrible 
chastisements inflicted by the justice of God upon 
the Jewish nation. But that perverse generation 
remains obstinate under the lashes of the divine in- 
dignation. During two thousand years, they have 



Practical Reflections. 



303 



refused to believe in Jesus Christ, and have borne an 
undying hatred against His holy religion. The 
modern Jews not only refuse to receive the faith of 
Jesus, their crucified Messiah, but in different Chris- 
tian countries they are the most active and bitter 
enemies of the Catholic Church, by their malignant 
and calumnious writings, and by hiring Judases with 
their money. As their forefathers by their intrigues 
and seditious clamors forced the Roman governor, 
Pilate, to confirm their sentence of death against 
our blessed Lord ; so the more influential Jews of 
the present day stimulate and urge modern Pilates 
in civil power, to oppress and persecute His Vicar 
and all faithful Catholics. These are known facts that 
cannot be contradicted. But we Catholics, who 
suffer through their malice, will imitate the meekness 
and charity of our divine Saviour, we will excuse 
their ignorance, we will pray for their conversion. 
May these modern Sauls become Pauls! May the 
immaculate Mother of our blessed Redeemer multi- 
ply the miracles of grace for the conversion of 
all Jews, as she did with a Ratisbone ! 



Fourth Point. 

L Consider the more extended and more impor- 
tant meaning of our Saviour's words. He teaches 
us that the crimes of every nation are always 
punished, sooner or later, during time. Nations 
are not eternal ; hence, as their good moral actions 
are rewarded by God with temporal prosperity, 
so their sins are punished by national calamities. 
Now in our present unhappy age, with few r excep- 
tions, every nation upon earth has rebelled against 
Jesus Christ, persecutes His Vicar, and His Church, 
and is plunged into the abyss of impiety and vice. 
Conclude, then, how r severe and general must be the 
chastisements, which the present and rising genera- 
tion shall have to experience. Instead of criticising 



304 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



this too well-founded opinion, we should, like the 
daughters of Jerusalem, weep for our sins and for 
those of our children and subjects. How often has 
the Vicar of Christ, a prisoner in the hands of His 
persecutors, and loaded with a heavy cross, crux 
de cruce, used expressions similar to those of our 
suffering Saviour? "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep 
not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your chil- 
dren. For if in the green wood they do these things, 
what shall be done in the dry ? " 

By the expressive figure of green wood, our divine 
Master signifies just and virtuous souls ; souls ani- 
mated by the life-giving suck of divine grace, and 
bearing abundant fruits of holy actions. Such is 
the Holy Father, truly pious in name and in deed. 
Such are so many holy bishops, ecclesiastics and 
religious, who are suffering persecution for Jesus' 
sake. Dry wood represents unbelieving infidels 
and wicked sinners, impious men and bad Christians. 
These are the present persecutors of the faithful 
servants of Christ. 

But if in the green wood they do these things, 
what shall be done in the dry? "For" as St. Peter 
says, " the time is that judgment should begin at the 
house of God. And if first at us, what shall be the 
end of those who believe not the Gospel of God;" or, 
believing it, they trample its maxims under foot? If 
the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the 
wicked and the sinner appear ? . . . Therefore also 
they, who suffer according to the will of God, let them 
commend their souls in good deeds to the faithful 
Creator. Dearly beloved, think not strange the burn- 
ing heat, which is to try you, as if some new thing 
happened to you. But rejoice, being partakers of the 
sufferings of Christ ; that when his glory shall be re- 
vealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If 
you be reproached for the name of Christ, you shall be 
happy. For, that zvhich is of the honor, glory and 
power of God, and that which is his spirit, resteth 
upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, 



Practical Reflections. 



305 



or a thief, or a railer, or as coveting the goods of others. 
But if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let 
him glorify God in that name" ( 1 Peter, iv, 12-16.) 

II. When the Prince of the apostles wrote these 
words, he knew that a general and cruel persecution 
against the primitive Christians had begun. There 
is no need of the spirit of prophecy to foresee and 
foretell that a similar persecution is hanging over 
our heads, nay, it has already commenced. His 
words will be found highly instructive and useful 
in our present critical circumstances. Let us se- 
riously meditate upon them ; let pious souls, like the 
daughters of Jerusalem, renew their fervor, and pray 
for the welfare of the Church, for the conversion 
of sinners and infidels, and for the speedy triumph 
of our holy religion. 

III. Finally, the words of our blessed Lord to the 
afflicted women of Jerusalem are an honor to their 
sex, and teach them a duty. It was an honor to 
their sex to receive consolation from the lips of the 
divine Son of an immaculate virgin mother. They 
deserved this special consolation, because, with the 
exception of the maid-servant of the high-priest, 
no woman had any immediate share in the sufferings 
aud humiliations of our divine Saviour. On the 
contrary, both pagan and Jewish women used their 
limited influence in His favor. Claudia Procula, 
the pagan wife of Pilate, entreated her husband to 
protect the life of our persecuted Lord, because He 
was a just and innocent man. The pious V eronica 
wiped our Lord's face on His way to Calvary, in 
the crowded streets of Jerusalem. These devout 
women are now full of compassion, and shed bitter 
tears at His sufferings, and in the company of His 
most holy Mother, they follow Him to Mount Cal- 
vary, and witness His crucifixion, agony, death, and 
burial. All this is a great honor to them. 

IV. But honor has duties. The special duty that 
our loving Saviour imposes upon these women is, 
that of tears and prayer. He exhorts them to weep 



306 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

and pray for themselves and for their children. 
Women are weak by nature, but strong in loving 
compassion. Tears and prayers are their most ef- 
fective weapons with God and men. Let them, 
therefore, embrace with these two arms the bleed- 
ing feet of Jesus crucified, by weeping and praying 
for themselves and for the children of our afflicted 
Mother, the Catholic Church. 



Fifth Point. 

I. Consider that, in veneration of this memorable 
journey of our dear Lord from the house of Pilate 
to Mount Calvary, the devout exercise of the Via 
Crucis, or the Fourteen Stations of the Cross, has 
been introduced in the Catholic Church. The Way 
of the Cross was first performed by our Saviour 
carrying His cross, accompanied by His most holy 
Mother, by St. John, by St. Mary Magdalen, and 
the other pious women, After the death of her 
beloved Son, during her stay in Jerusalem, our 
blessed Lady daily visited those hallowed places, 
sanctified by the footsteps and the blood of Jesus. 
She revealed this fact to St. Bridget. (Lib. vi, 
R. C. 61.) Her example was imitated by the 
fervor of the primitive Christians. Devout pil- 
grims went to Jerusalem from every part of the 
Christian world to venerate these sacred places, and 
to moisten them with their tears. 

II. But, because the vast majority of Catholics 
could not undertake this long and difficult journey, 
the piety of the faithful substituted the more 
convenient devotion of the Way of the cross; This 
was done by planting fourteen Crosses in some 
secluded place, to which were soon added painted 
or carved representations of the fourteen mysteries 
of the Way of the Cross, w hich were called Stations, 
because the faithful stationed themselves succes- 



Practical Reflections, 



307 



sively before them, for pious meditation and prayer. 
The Franciscan friars, who, by the Holy See, had 
been appointed as guardians of the Holy Sepulchre 
in Jerusalem, and other sacred places in Palestine, 
introduced the devotion of the holy Way of the 
Cross in Italy. The great apostle of the seventeenth 
century, St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio, with the 
sanction of the pope, publicly established this 
devotion in the Colosseum of Rome, and thence 
propagated it in the principal cities, towns and 
villages of Italy. From Italy, it soon spread through 
all Catholic countries. 

III. Different popes, wishing to encourage this 
most holy devotion, have granted all the plenary 
and partial indulgences that can be gained by 
devout pilgrims who visit all the sacred places of 
Palestine. All these indulgences are applicable to 
the holy souls in purgatory. St. Leonard relates 
that a great servant of God (very likely himself), 
being anxious to learn from God what practice of 
devotion was most pleasing to His divine Majesty, 
one day our divine Saviour appeared to him with a 
large cross upon His shoulders, and said : "My child, 
the most grateful homage thou canst offer to me is 
to assist me in carrying this very heavy cross. 
Know, then, that by often visiting the Stations of the 
Cross, thou wilt afford great consolation to my af- 
flicted heart." (Via sacra, p. 26.) The same revela- 
tion was in substance made, in the year 1846, to the 
holy Sister of Charity, in France, to whom pur Lord 
made known the devotion of the red scapular 
of the passion. On a Sunday evening, whilst per- 
forming the Stations of the Cross, and being 
arrived at the thirteenth Station, " it seems to me/' 
she says, " that the most holy Virgin laid on my 
arms the sacred body of our adorable Master, say- 
ing to me : ' The world is lost, because nobody 
thinks on the passion of my divine Son, Do, then, 
all in your power, my daughter, to induce Chris- 
tians to meditate on it.' " Oh ! how ardently our 



3 o8 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Lord desires that men should meditate on His 
sufferings! How much His holy Mother wishes it! 

IV. The Stations of the Cross are erected in every 
Catholic church, and devout souls greatly please 
our divine Saviour by often visiting them. Through 
this holy exercise they enrich their souls with many 
indulgences, and contribute vastly to the relief of 
the suffering souls in purgatory. This devotion 
can be found in every Catholic prayer-book, but it 
can be performed without one. Begin with the first 
Station, which represents our blessed Lord con- 
demned to death by Pilate. Look at it devoutly 
for a moment, reflect on the mystery which it rep- 
resents, then say a short prayer upon your knees, or 
even standing. Glory be to the Father, would be 
enough, but it would be better to recite one Our 
Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father : 
then pass to the second Station and do the same. 
Continue so to the last Station, and the Way of the 
Cross is sufficiently performed to please our Blessed 
Lord, and obtain all the plenary and partial indul- 
gences granted by the Holy See. In a quarter of 
an hour you can procure all these spiritual advan- 
tages. Those Catholics, however, who, through 
bodily infirmity, or other legitimate impediment, 
cannot go to visit the Stations of the Cross, can 
have a little brass crucifix blessed by some priest, 
empowered to attach the privileges of the Stations 
to it. By holding this blessed and privileged cru- 
cifix in their hands, and reciting fourteen times the 
Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary corresponding to 
the fourteen Stations of the Cross, and meditating 
devoutly on the passion of our blessed Lord ; finally, 
by adding five other Our Fathers and Hail Marys, 
followed by one more Our Father and Hail Mary 
for the pope, they can gain the same indulgences 
as those who devoutly perform them in a church. 

We give these simple and plain details in this 
place, in the hope of cooperating in the propagation 
of this holy devotion. Devout readers will, in their 



Practical Reflections. 



309 



charitable zeal for the honor of our dear Saviour, 
and for the good of souls, help us to promote this 
devotion by reading and explaining the contents of 
this page to those pious Catholics who may not pos- 
sess this book, or may be unable to read it. This 
charitable work may cause some little inconveni- 
ence ; but let us reflect that our blessed Lord 
suffered more for us in carrying His heavy cross to 
Mount Calvary. Lastly, let us remember what St. 
Bonaventure says : " There is no pious exercise 
which produces in the soul a more universal sancti- 
fication, than meditation on the passion of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." (St. Bonavent., Life of Christ.) 



Prayer. 

I sincerely compassionate Thee, my suffering 
Saviour, under the heavy burden of the cross. 
My heart is deeply afflicted in beholding Thee bent 
and panting under its oppressive weight. Thy 
weak and exhausted humanity is supported indeed, 

my jesus ! by the fervor of Thy love, and the 
power of thy Divinity ; but it is only to prolong 
and intensify its sufferings. Allow me, then, to 
take the place of Simon in assisting Thee to carry 
this heavy cross to Mount Calvary in Thy company. 

1 am desirous to share with Thee, my divine Re- 
deemer, both the pain and the ignominy of this 
dreaded and despised cross. I have rendered it 
heavy and disgraceful to Thee, innocent Son of 
God, through my manifold grievous sins. I should, 
therefore, bear its infamy and sufferings. I will fol- 
low Thee to Mount Calvary with this cross upon 
my shoulders, and, in company with those pious 
women, I will weep for my sins, and for the sins of 
those whom I have scandalized by my bad conduct. 

The cross that I am determined to bear is that 
which the wisdom and mercy of Thy justice will 
send me in punishment for my many sins. I receive 



3 io The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

it with perfect resignation ; I will bear it with 
humble contrition as long as I live. O holy Cross, 
sanctified by the blood of my Redeemer ! receive 
me in thy arms, and restore me as a penitent to 
Him who died upon thee for my sins. Be thou 
to me, O blessed Cross ! the ark of my salvation 
from the deluge of iniquity, and my' ladder to 
Heaven. 

Most holy Mother of Jesus, sure refuge of sinners ! 
I beseech you by the grief you experienced in 
beholding your divine Son oppressed under the 
burden of the cross on His way to Calvary, to 
obtain for me a sincere sorrow for my sins, the 
spirit of true repentance and penance with which I 
may accompany your suffering Son to Mount 
Calvary, carrying my cross after Him ; that, suffer- 
ing with Him and dying in your presence, I may 
deserve, like the good thief, to pass from the cross 
to paradise. Amen. 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



3ii 



XX. CONSIDERATION. 



CRUCIFIXION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 
Preliminary Remarks. 

I. Our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified upon a 
hill called Mount Calvary. This mount is now 
included within the walls of the modern city of 
Jerusalem. But at the time of our blessed Saviour, 
Mount Calvary was outside of the city in a westerly 
direction. According to His repeated prophecies, 
this ungrateful city was so utterly destroyed by 
order of Titus, that not a stone was left standing 
upon a stone.. This happened only thirty-seven 
years after our Lord's crucifixion and death. 

A hundred years after this a new city of Jerusa- 
lem was built by Julius Severus, Governor of Judea, 
under the Emperor Adrian. But, for a more com- 
plete realization of our Lord's prophecy, the new 
city was built a little more to the west, and beyond 
the site of the old Jerusalem. In this way Mount 
Calvary was included within the new city. This 
was done througlrthe secret design of divine Prov- 
idence, because, at the side of Mount Calvary, was 
the holy sepulchre of our Blessed Saviour. Hence, 
both this venerated place and Mount Calvary were 
embraced in the new Jerusalem. For the more 
secure protection of Mount Calvary, and especially 
of the holy sepulchre, the pious Christian empress, 
Eudoxia, the learned and accomplished wife of 
Theodosius II, Emperor of the East in Constanti- 
nople, surrounded the new city of Jerusalem with 
strong walls and towers in the year 437. 

St. Jerome, who lived many years in Jerusalem, 
and in his monastery at Bethlehem, and who was 
the best-informed in Scriptural and Jewish history 



312 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



of any of the Fathers of the Church, writes that, 
according to ancient tradition, Adam was buried on 
Mount Calvary in the spot where the foot of our 
Saviour's cross was planted. Principally for this 
reason, and partly on account of the execution of 
criminals, which took place on this hill, it was called 
Mount Calvary, or the Mount of Skulls. 

II. Our divine Lord was about thirty-three years 
of age when He was crucified. The memorable 
day was Friday. Thus, as Adam was created on 
Friday, so the new Adam, Jesus, died on Friday. 
The hour of our Saviour's crucifixion was a little be- 
fore noon, which very likely was the hour of Adam's 
transgression about four thousand and forty years 
before. Our most holy Redeemer died on the eve of 
the great paschal solemnity, which was celebrated 
by the Jews on the first Saturday after the lull moon 
of the month of March. This fact should be care- 
fully observed, because a most wonderful prodigy 
took place on that occasion. St. Matthew says that 
"from the sixth hour there was darkness over all 
the earth, until the ninth hour." (Matt., xxxii, 45.) 
The sixth hour among the Jews corresponded 
to our noon, and consequently the ninth hour to our 
three o'clock afternoon. Now an ordinary eclipse 
of the sun at that hour is nothing extraordinary ; 
but the universal eclipse mentioned by St. Matthew 
is a most surprising prodigy, because it happened 
contrary to all the ordinary laws of nature. And 
this for two obvious reasons. The first and principal 
reason is, because the partial eclipse of the sun in 
relation to the earth is caused when the moon in 
the daytime passes directly between the earth and 
the sun. Thus the moon produces darkness upon 
the corresponding portions of the earth opposite 
to her, which is done in two different ways. 1st. 
The moon prevents the rays and light of the sun 
from reaching that portion of the earth ; and, 2d, 
by casting her own shadow upon it, she produces 
that gloomy darkness, which we call an eclipse. 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



313 



This eclipse, however, can never happen in full moon 
because at this time the earth is between the sun 
and the moon, and not the moon between the sun 
and the earth. This is well understood by all those 
who have studied astronomy. More simple readers 
should be satisfied to learn that during the full moon 
no eclipse can occur without a very great miracle 
Hence they should conclude that the three hours 
eclipse at our Saviour's crucifixion, during the full 
moon of the Jewish paschal solemnity, was a most 
astonishing prodigy, which never happened before 
or since that day. 

There was another prodigy in that eclipse. The 
moon being very much smaller than the earth, and 
being at a great distance from it, no eclipse can 
naturally obscure the whole earth during three hours' 
duration. Now behold the second prodigy at the 
crucifixion and death of our divine Lord and Sav- 
iour. Three of the four Evangelists call our atten- 
tion to the extraordinary event, that during more 
than three long hours there was darkness over the 
whole earth. St. Luke says : "It zvas almost the 
sixth hour" — hence it was not yet noon — "and there 
was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour'' 
(Luke, xxiii, 44.) The ninth hour corresponds to 
our three o'clock, afternoon. Therefore this awful 
darkness obscured the whole earth during more 
than three hours. This darkness was not and could 
not be produced by an ordinary eclipse. It was 
God who, in His horror at the crucifixion and death 
of His divine Son, Jesus, enveloped the sun of 
heaven in darkness, making this planet mourn, as it 
were, at the death of its Creator. Hence St. Luke 
says that " the sun was darkened /' that is to say, it 
suffered this darkness from an external superior 
power. ( Luke, xxiii, 45. ) Horrible crime of 
deicide at which inanimate nature mourns! . . . 
The Church also, on Good Friday, is in deep mourn- 
ing. Will the sinner who perpetrated this awful 
crime, remain alone unmoved amidst the universal 



314 The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 

gloom and desolation of the world? If so, his 
mental darkness must be worse than the darkness 
of the eclipsed sun. 

III. In order to form some faint idea of the exces- 
sive sufferings endured by our Lord at His crucifix- 
ion, we should reflect that His bodily constitution 
was extremely refined, and most sensitive to every 
kind of physical suffering. This is what I desire to 
show before we proceed to the crucifixion. 

1st. Consider in the first place the difference be- 
tween a person that is seriously in earnest and firmly 
determined to obtain an important end, and another 
that is not so disposed. This latter will be slow and 
careless in the choice and application of the means. 
But the former will, as soon as possible, select 
the fittest instruments, and apply them in practice at 
the earliest opportunity with the utmost vigor. 

Now it is a fundamental dogma of Christianity 
that the eternal Son of God became man to satisfy 
divine justice offended by the sins of men, and thus 
redeem and save mankind. This merciful object 
of our Saviour's incarnation was promised by 
God in the Old Testament, foretold by His holy 
prophets, and lastly announced by His holy angels. 
The angel Gabriel said to St. Joseph, the virginal 
spouse of the holy and immaculate Virgin Mother 
of our Lord: "Thou shalt call his name Jesus : for 
he shall save His people from their sins." (Matt., i, 21.) 
This was the end of Jesus' mission upon earth. 
"For God sent his Son a propitiation for our sins" 
St. John says. (1 John iv, 10.) "Our Lord Jesus 
Christ" St. Paul teaches, "gave himself for our sins, 
that he might deliver us from this present wicked 
world." (Gal., i, 4.) Behold here, then, the object 
of our merciful .Redeemer's incarnation. Jesus 
became man to satisfy the justice of God, offended 
by the sins of men, and thus to redeem and save 
mankind. 

Now this propitiation with God, this deliverance 
from sin, this salvation from eternal misery, had to 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



315 



be effected through the bodily sufferings of Jesus, by 
the shedding of His sacred blood, and through His 
actual death upon the cross. This is another article 
of the Christian faith, hence St. Paul says : " Whereas 
you were some time alienated, and enemies in mind 
in evil work; yet now he, Jesus, hath reconciled 
in the body of his flesh through death, to present 
yon holy and unspotted and blameless before him" 
(Col., i, 21, 22.) " Jesus loved us," St. John says, "and 
washed us from our sins in his blood." (Apoc, i, 5.) 
"He himself bore our sins in his body. . . by whose 
stripes you were healed!' (1 Peter, ii, 24.) Devout 
reader, fix well your attention upon these words 
of divine inspiration. Consider the end of pur 
Saviour's incarnation. This was fully to atone 
for all the sins of mankind. Now the means and 
instrument which our Lord adopted and used for 
the perfect attainment of this sublime end, was the 
assumption of a real human body, and true, created 
human soul, in order that He might suffer and die, 
and through His sufferings and death satisfy divine 
justice for our sins, and thus redeem and save man- 
kind. "He himself bore our sins in his body, . . . by 
whose stripes you were healed" 

It is evident to any ordinary intelligence, and be- 
sides daily experience shows, that the more refined 
the human body, or any member or organ of it is, 
the more keenly sensitive it becomes to every kind 
of physical pain. Therefore, out of respect for the 
wisdom and earnest sincerity of our divine Lord 
and Saviour, we must conclude that the body as- 
sumed by Him in His incarnation must have been 
exceedingly refined, and consequently most keenly 
sensitive to all kinds of suffering. 

2d. From these premises we learn another mys- 
tery. It is this: Jesus Christ, who styles Himself 
the Son of man, was the only child ever born upon 
earth for suffering. Suffering is the effect of sin; 
hence, as man was not and could not be created for 
sin, so he could not be created for suffering. Man, 



3i6 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



on the contrary, was created and intended by God 
for happiness both in time and eternity. It was the 
curse of sin that brought upon guilty man both suf- 
fering and death. Now, because the eternal Son of 
God became man to atone for the sins of mankind, 
therefore the immediate object of His incarnation 
was to suffer and die a victim of charity for our 
redemption and salvation. Hence the admirable 
adaptation of His bodily constitution to the most 
exquisite sensibility in every kind of physical pain. 
And, in fact, if we, who were not originally created, 
nor intended by God for sufferings, feel them so 
keenly, we should from our own experience judge 
how incomparably more acute every kind of pain 
must have been to our divine Lord, who, by the 
wisdom and justice of God, was in His human 
nature created and destined as a victim of immola- 
tion upon the altar of suffering and death. This 
will appear more evident, if we proceed to make 
two additional reflections : one in relation to His 
sacred body, the other about His most holy soul. 

3d. It is certain that the more refined the subject 
of pain is, the more intense the suffering becomes. 
A tender and delicate child will feel the same kind 
and amount of suffering, as cold weather, a severe 
blow, more keenly than a grown-up, robust person. 
A delicately-reared lady will suffer more under the 
same circumstances, than a tough, hard-laboring 
man. The same must be said of different parts of 
the body. A prick with a pin, or a thorn in a callous 
hand or foot will scarcely be felt, but the same 
puncture in the eye, or in some internal vital organ, 
as the brain or the heart, will cause intense agony ; 
because the subject of pain is more refined, and 
consequently more sensitive to suffering. 

Now, the whole body of our divine Saviour was 
most exquisitely refined in its constitution. It was 
in fact so wonderfully refined in every lineament, as 
to be compared by learned and pious authors to the 
delicacy of the human eye, or to the keen sensibility 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



317 



of the internal vital organs of an ordinary human 
body. Devout reader, you may be surprised at this 
assertion, but be not incredulous, I pray. Please 
to consider attentively the origin of our Lord's 
body, and the singular elements of its miraculous 
formation. Then you will be able to draw your 
conclusion, and form a definite judgment. 

IV. Nobility of blood, in the general opinion of 
mankind, greatly contributes to the delicate refine- 
ment of the child's body. For the sake of truth, let 
us, at least on this serious occasion, lay aside the 
vulgar prejudices of human pride. Jesus will be 
pleased with the docility of our Christian humility, 
and reward it with His heavenly light. Now, then, 
piously reflect and consider who the Mother of Jesus 
was. In her human pedigree, blessed Mary was the 
noblest lady in the Jewish nation and in the whole 
world. She was a descendant from the princely 
tribe of Juda, and more particularly of the royal 
family of David. 

From her saintly fathers side, our blessed Lady 
had concentrated in her virginal veins the royal 
blood of no less than eighteen kings, her direct 
ancestry. On her holy mother's side, she was a 
descendant of the supreme pontiff, Aaron. We learn 
this fact from the holy evangelist, St. Luke, who 
says that " St. Elizabeth, the zvife of St. Zachary, a 
Jewish high-priest, was of the daughters" namely a 
descendant, "of Aaron" (Luke, i, 5.) And the Blessed 
Virgin Mary is by the Archangel Gabriel called "the 
cousin" or near relation u of Elizabeth." (v. 36.) In 
the person, then, of our most holy Lady, we see the 
union of the highest and noblest pedigree that can 
be desired by any person on earth. Her virginal 
body is hallowed by the sacredness of the Jewish 
priesthood, and ennobled by kingly dignity. Now, 
if the children of noble and royal parents are remark- 
able for the refinement of their bodilv constitution, 
we may, if we can, imagine how great must have 
been the beauty and delicacy of Jesus, the blessed 



3i8 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



fruit of her virginal womb. Most holy Mary is the 
beautiful Lily of Israel, and the fragrant Rose of 
Juda, from whom Jesus, the flower of humanity, 
sprung. "And there shall come forth" Isaias says, 
" a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flozver shale rise 
up out of this root, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest 
upon him." (Isa., xi, i.) 

Moreover, blessed Mary, our Saviour's Mother, 
was the most chaste and the purest of virgins. Vir- 
gins in comparison with the Queen of virgins, are 
like thorns by the side of a lily. Sicut lilium inter 
spinas, sic arnica mea inter filias. (Cant., ii, 2.) Good 
God ! who can conceive how refined and delicate 
ought to be the child of such a Virgin Mother? . . 
But let us proceed. 

V. Grace and holiness are the perfection of human 
nature. As sin, crime, vice, blunt and harden man, 
so grace, virtue, habitual holiness, soften, embellish 
and refine him. Now the thrice blessed Mother 
of Jesus had never been touched in body or soul by 
the foul breath of original, or actual sin. Mary was 
an immaculate Virgin Mother. She was young in 
age at the time of her maternity, but far advanced 
in virtue. Mary was eminent in sanctity, and full of 
divine grace. Her heart loved God more ardently 
than did all the saints and angels. By an archangel 
she was saluted as " blessed among women, and filled 
with divine grace and love. Hail, Mary, full of grace. 
(Luke, i, 28.) 

Mary heard this angelic salutation before a word 
was uttered to her about the intended incarnation 
of the Son of God, This evidently shows that 
blessed Mary was replenished with grace, burning 
with God's love, eminent in sanctity even before 
receiving in her immaculate virginal bosom the 
Author of all grace, the God of holiness. But to 
what degree of eminence will this fulness of Mary's 
grace and sanctity be raised during the nine happy 
months of her most intimate maternal union with 
the incarnate Son of God ? . . Good God ! who 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



319 



but Thy divine wisdom can fathom this profound 
ocean of love and grace, and grace and love ? Love 
every instant expanded the heart of Mary, grace 
entered immediately to fill up this new capacity. 
Love every moment drew more closely the immac- 
ulate heart of Mary to the divine heart of Jesus ; 
grace linked them together like twins in charity 
and holiness! O immaculate heart of Mary! 
O sacred Heart of Jesus ! you were so similar, 
you were so very near each other, you were so 
closely united, most holy hearts! See how the 
heart of the Son, the fountain of all grace, pours 
down into the heart of the Mother a constant stream 
of the water of grace. See how every new flow of 
grace enlarges the capacity of Mary's soul, and ex- 
cites her maternal heart to more intense love for her 
unborn child, Jesus. See how the heart of Jesus, 
the furnace of divine charity, redoubles every 
instant the flames of their reciprocal love. "My 
beloved unto me, and I unto him' y (Cant., i, 12.) Thus 
kept on constantly advancing this wonderful pro- 
cess of grace, love and refinement, in the heavenly 
forge of Mary's virginal womb, until the hour 
arrived when the angelic choirs, in an ecstasy of 
admiration, sang at the cave of Bethlehem, " Glory 
to God on high' 1 The angels saw the Infant Son 
of Mary, and whilst adoring Him in her arms, they 
admired the beauty, the perfect symmetry, the ex- 
quisite refinement, and most delicate complexion of 
His little human body. Considering, then, the origin 
of our Redeemer's conception and birth from an 
immaculate, most holy Virgin Mother of the royal 
house of David, we should conclude that His body 
ought to have been exceedingly delicate in consti- 
tution, and consequently extremely sensitive to 
every kind of physical pain. 

VI. We have, however, to consider more impor- 
tant and more conclusive arguments. Even* an 
immaculate virgin mother must have a spouse in 
order to conceive a divine Son. We must now pass 



320 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



to examine the qualifications of this spouse of Mar} 
and true Father of Jesus. We read, in the first 
chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, that " the Angel 
Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, 
called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man, whose 
name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the name 
of the virgin ivas Mary" (Luke, i, 27.) 

Observe, devout reader, how carefully the inspired 
Evangelist, twice in a single verse, calls our attention 
to the fact, that, though our blessed Lady was mar- 
ried to St. Joseph, nevertheless she was a most pure 
Virgin. Mary and Joseph, on the first day of their 
holy wedding, made by common consent a solemn 
vow to God of perpetual virginity. A short time 
after their marriage, God sent tp this most holy 
virgin the Angel Gabriel. The angelic messenger, 
after saluting her with words never before heard by 
mortal ears, announced to Mary that she had been 
chosen by God to be the Mother of the promised 
Messiah. At these words of the angel, Mary's pro- 
found humility and her high esteem for virginal 
purity were alarmed. She immediately said to the 
angel : H How shall this be done, for I know not 
man?" The answer of the heavenly messenger will 
now teach us who the Father of Jesus is. "The 
holy Ghost" the angel said to Mary, "the Holy 
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the pozver of the Most 
High shall overshadoiv thee. And therefore the Holy 
One, who shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son 
of God." (Luke, i, 35.) Jesus, then, is the Son of 
God, not only in His eternal and divine, but also in 
His temporal and human generation. Hence in 
His humanity our blessed Lord has a most holy and 
immaculate virgin for His Mother, and the Holy 
Ghost as a substitute for His Father. Let now 
human reason, purified and enlightened by Christian 
faith and piety, conclude how supremely refined 
must have been the body of Jesus, our Lord, formed 
by the miraculous operation of the Most Holy 
Spirit, conceived and born of a most pure, most 



Crucifixion of our Lord, 



321 



holy immaculate Mother! . . . The Angelic Doctor, 
St. Thomas, teaches that what is done by God 
through a miracle, is always more perfect than art 
or nature can make it. In the conception and 
birth of Jesus there is a chain of the most wonder- 
ful prodigies ever wrought by God in heaven and 
upon earth. How sublimely perfect, therefore, the 
humanity of Jesus must be, which has been the sub- 
ject of all these astonishing miracles from the first 
moment of its existence ! O most sacred body of 
Jesus ! I admire, I adore Thee. O God of justice ! 
is it this body that has to be scourged, crowned with 
thorns, and fastened with nails to a cross? O 
most loving Mother of Jesus ! you were so kind, 
so gentle, so tenderly careful of the body of your 
most beautiful and innocent Son ! But He is now 
going to be crucified. 

VII. Whilst the executioners are preparing for 
this bloody deed, let us keep ourselves recollected, 
and make two more reflections about the share 
which the soul of Jesus had in the refinement of 
His body, and in increasing the intensity of His 
suffering at the crucifixion. 

Christian philosophy has discovered in the econ- 
omy of this universe the grand and sublime principle 
of assimilation. God is the beginning and last end 
of all being. He is the model and the author of all 
things. All creatures bear the impress of God's 
image. Created intelligences, or the angels nearer 
to God, partake more abundantly of His divine 
attributes, and through these they both enlighten 
and draw towards God, as to the common centre, 
inferior angels and human souls. The Angelic 
Doctor says : " The image of God is more perfect 
in the angels than in the human soul, and in the 
higher angels this divine image is brighter than in 
the inferior angels. It is likewise more perfect in 
man than in woman." (Thom. q. dist. xvi, 9, 1, a. 3.) 
Now, the human soul is united to a material body. 
The human body is a microcosm, or the compen- 



322 



Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



dium of material creation. Hence the soul, by 
informing the body, by infusing life into it, by acting 
upon it and through it, refines its carnal nature, 
assimilates it to herself, and, in a certain sense, she 
spiritualizes her body. This admirable process 
has been going on continually upon earth, among 
countless millions of men during almost six thousand 
years. We may conclude from this what immense 
work of assimilation has silently, but effectively, 
been performed by human souls in this material 
world. The human soul operating upon her body, 
refining it and, as it were, spiritualizing it, indirectly 
operates upon, refines, and spiritualizes all material 
creation. Finally, the bodies of the elect being 
exalted and sublimated by spiritual grace during 
life, and by glory at the general resurrection ; all 
material creation in and through all these countless 
millions of glorified bodies will be assimilated as 
much as possible to God, and united to Him in 
glory through Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus Christ is 
truly " the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end 
of all things." (Apoc., i, 8.) 

We learn this beautiful, grand and sublime 
philosophy from St. Paul, who says : " It is solvit 
an animal body, it shall rise a spiritual body. If 
there be an animal body, there is also a spiritual 
body. . . . It is sozvn in corruption, it shall rise in in- 
corruption. It is sown in dishonor, it shall rise in 
glory; it is sown in weakness; it shall rise in 
power. . . As we have borne the image of the earthly 
man, Adam, we will also bear the image of the 
heavenly man, Jesus." (i Cor., xv, 42.) 

VIII. The human soul proceeds in this divine-like 
work of assimilation and spiritualization of her body, 
through her intelligence and affections. Hence, 
the higher and more active is her intellectual life 
and action, and the purer, holier, and more intense 
are her affections upon and through the vital and 
nobler organs of the body, the sooner the body will 
be refined and assimilated to the soul, and conse- 



Crucifixion of our Lord, 



323 



quently rendered more keenly sensitive to every 
kind of physical pain during our mortal life upon 
earth. 

These principles will enable us to give a reason 
for the faith that is in us about the passion of our 
divine Lord, which is the grandest and most sub- 
lime work of God's wisdom and power. The 
ordinary way of superficially viewing the passion of 
our Saviour detracts from its dignity, and cannot 
produce much fruit of virtue in Christian souls. 
Consider, attentively, what has been stated above, 
and it will help you, dear reader, to understand 
more clearly, and appreciate more justly, the inten- 
sity and high value of our Redeemer's sufferings. 
We will now pass to consider the relation which 
the body of Jesus bears towards the soul. 

IX. We begin with an admirable figure which 
we find in the book of Exodus. God commanded 
Moses to prepare the ark of the covenant for the 
reception of the two tables of the Decalogue. He 
described every detail about its length, breadth, and 
height. He ordered that it should be framed with 
precious and incorruptible setim-wood, and over- 
laid within and without with the purest gold. 
(Exod., xxii, 10.) Now, if God so strongly insisted 
upon having so rich and beautiful an ark prepared 
for the reception of the two material tables of 
the law ; what body will He prepare for the re- 
ception of the spiritual and immortal soul of His 
divine Son, Jesus? . . . The soul of Jesus was the 
greatest, the noblest, the holiest, the most intelligent 
spirit ever created, or which will ever be created by 
God. Such a superior soul was strictly due to 
blessed Jesus' high dignity and mediatorial office. 
He was the beginning, the end, and the perfection of 
all creation. Jesus was the first and the fairest flower 
of humanity. He was the first-born of the elect of 
God. He was constituted the head of the Church, 
the Redeemer and Saviour of men. Jesus was the 
supreme Monarch of heaven and earth, the first law- 



3^4 



Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



giver of the world, the universal judge of mankind. 
Very extraordinary gifts and graces, virtues and 
wisdom were granted by God to the youthful King 
Solomon, to the end that he might be able to 
govern wisely, for some years, a few millions of men 
within his small kingdom. (3 Kings, iii, 5.) 

But what gifts and graces, what intelligence and 
wisdom, what virtue and power should have been 
communicated by God to the soul of Jesus, the 
King of kings, and sovereign Lord of men and 
angels? The mission of Jesus upon earth was not, 
like that of Solomon, confined to Palestine. Hence, 
on a certain occasion, our Lord said to the Jews : 
" The Queen of the south came to hear the wisdom of 
Solomon , and, behold ! a greater than Solomon is here." 
(Matt., xii, 42.) "In him," St. Paul says, " are hidden 
all the treasures of wisdom and knozvledge." (Col., xi, 
3.) The Eternal Word came upon earth, became man 
to regenerate and elevate all nature, to establish an 
universal and everlasting empire over all souls and 
spirits, to teach the most sublime doctrines and pro- 
found dogmas to all men, to subdue to His faith and 
love all human intellects and wills, and, finally, to 
elicit the most sincere admiration, the most enthusi- 
astic love, the heartiest homage, and profoundest 
adoration from the highest and holiest intelligences 
of men and angels, during an endless eternity. He 
assumed a human soul. Now, a soul like this must 
surely have been enriched and adorned with the best 
gifts and graces of God. Such, thanks be to God, 
was the fact with the soul of Jesus. The holy pro- 
phet Isaias says : " There shall come forth a rod out of 
the root of Jesse." This root of Jesse is the most holy 
Virgin Mary. u And a flower shall rise up out of this 
root." Behold here the beauty and refined delicacy 
of our Saviour's body. The prophet continues: 
u And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him : the 
spirit of wisdom and understanding : the spirit of coun- 
sel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of god- 
liness : and he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



325 



of the Lord" (Isa. xi, 2.) Behold the blessed sou. 
of Jesus filled with the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. 

Now, if God commanded Moses to prepare the 
ark of the old covenant for the reception of the 
material tables of the law, and this ark had to be 
framed with setim-wood, overlaid within and with- 
out with the purest gold, what kind of body will 
be prepared by the power of the Most High, through 
the operation of the Holy Ghost, for the reception 
of the great and most holy soul of Jesus? For a 
soul endowed with so many extraordinary gifts of 
nature and of grace, for a soul raised to the most 
sublime dignity, authority and power, the most 
perfectly organized and refined body will certainly 
be prepared by God. Such was, indeed, the sacred 
body of our divine Lord. " Therefore coming into 
the world, he saith: Sacrifice and oblation, thou, O 
Father, wouldst not, but a body thou hast fitted to 
me." (Heb., x, 5.) 

X. But we should carefully observe the essential 
difference intended to exist between the tables of 
the decalogue laid in the ark, and the soul of Jesus 
infused in his body. These two tables were two 
well-polished, but material stones. The soul of 
Jesus was a most pure spirit. These two stones lay 
down heavily within the ark, and could not natu- 
rally have the least physical influence upon it. They 
could neither communicate the life of vegetation to 
the wood, nor increase the intrinsic value of the 
gold. But the soul of Jesus was the form of His 
body, pervading every organ, every limb and mem- 
ber ; infusing life through every vein and artery, 
communicating motion to every nerve and muscle ; 
thinking in the brain, loving in the heart, hearing 
through the ears, seeing through the eyes, speaking 
with its tongue, living with its life, thoroughly 
identified with Jesus, God and man. 

During thirty-three years and more, the blessed 
soul of Jesus acted without the least difficulty or 
interruption upon this most perfectly organized 



326 



Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



body. Ordinary children do not arrive at the use 
of reason until they are seven or eight years of 
age. The soul of Jesus had the most perfect use of 
reason from her first union with the body. Con- 
sidering the vast amount of time we squander 
away in thoughtless evagations of the mind, in 
material pursuits, with the soul buried in the earth, 
in sensual gratifications of the body, with the soul 
steeped in flesh, eating, drinking and sleeping ; we 
must come to the humiliating conclusion that we 
pass the greater portion of our years without any 
wholesome exercise of our reasoning faculties. This 
is at least the general conduct of the vast majority 
of mankind. 

But very different from this was the life of our 
divine Lord. Night and day, and day and night, 
His soul was constantly in the full exercise of her 
mental faculties. In the Gospel we find one instance 
only in which Jesus seemed to be sleeping. But 
even then His heart was watching : " / sleep, but my 
heart watchetti" — Ego dortnio* et cor menm vigilat. 
(Cant., v, 2.) Whilst Jesus appears sleeping, He 
watches the conduct of His apostles during the 
storm, and promptly chides them for their want of 
confidence in Him. (Matt., viii, 24.) "Behold, he 
shall neither slumber, nor sleep that keepeth Israel" 
(Ps., cxx, 4.) 

During the three years of His apostolic life 
He passed the days in travelling and preaching, in 
instructing and working miracles ; going about 
doing good to every one. At night He retired to 
the mountain, and persevered watching and praying 
until the following morning, when He reassumed 
His apostolic labors. As the soul of our blessed 
Lord was, from the moment of His incarnation, in 
perpetual active and affective union with the Di- 
vinity ; so it was in constant action upon the noblest 
organs of His most sacred body. This action was 
twofold : active and affective. The mind of our 
Lord was constantly exercising her intellectual fac- 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



327 



ulties, His heart was burning with divine-human 
love. Jesus was perpetually thinking of God, and 
loving Him with all the fervor of His inflamed 
heart. In every instant of His human existence, our 
Saviour was worshipping the Godhead for Himself 
and for us ; He was studying how to promote His 
Father's greatest glory, and continually doing His 
adorable will in every action and motion of His 
life, and in every breath and pulsation of His heart. 
Not a single action was performed by our blessed 
Redeemer, not a word was uttered by Him, not a 
step was ever taken without actually referring it to 
the greater honor and glory of His heavenly Father. 
In every action of His life the soul of Jesus aimed 
at the highest degree of perfection. In short, the 
mind and heart of our Lord were constantly burning 
with the most ardent love of God. He truly loved 
God with His whole mind and heart, soul and 
strength, and for the same reason He loved men, 
as a man-God alone can love His most cherished 
creatures. This exercise of divine charity was in 
constant operation with Jesus, in His human nature 
composed of a most exquisite body, and a most holy 
and most intelligent soul. We remarked above 
that intelligence and holiness refine the human body. 
We may now imagine, if we can, to what sublime 
degree of refinement the body of our divine Lord 
must have been raised during the thirty-three years 
of His most holy life upon earth. 

XI. Before we conclude, we have to make another 
most important reflection in relation to the body of 
our Lord, which is suggested to us by the two 
mysterious tables of the Decalogue in the ancient 
ark of the covenant. One of these tables contained 
the first three commandments that have immediate 
relation to God. The other had inscribed upon it 
the seven commandments relative to man. This 
was a most beautiful figure of our Saviour's incar- 
nation. A few words of explanation will make it 
very clear. The living ark of the body of Jesus 



328 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



was prepared by God, and intended by Him to 
receive a human soul enriched and adorned with 
the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. This admirable 
soul of Jesus is represented and prefigured by the 
second table of the Decalogue enclosed within the 
ark of the covenant, upon which table the seven 
commandments were inscribed by the finger of 
God. 

The first table which relates immediately to God, 
represented and prefigured the divine person of 
the eternal Word made flesh, dwelling in that privi- 
leged body, the visible living ark of the new cove- 
nant of grace. Upon this table the first three of 
the divine commandments were inscribed, which are 
the foundation of the whole Decalogue, and of every 
law. Now observe the admirable analogy between 
the figure and the reality. The sacred body of 
Jesus, the living ark of the new covenant of faith, 
grace, and love, in receiving at the incarnation the 
eternal Word of God, received at the same time, as 
Catholic theology teaches, all the three persons of 
the most adorable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost. Because where the Son is, so likewise the 
Father and the Holy Ghost must be. For the 
Trinity of persons is inseparably united in one 
divine nature. Hence St. John says: "There are 
three that give testimony in Heaven : the Father, 
the Word, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are 
one." (1 John, v, 7.) "Believe you not" our 
Saviour says, " believe you not that I am in the 
Father, and the Father in me?" (John, xiv, 10.) 
" / and the Father are one." (John, x, 10.) Behold 
now what is contained in the sacred body of Jesus ! 
First a most holy, most noble, and most intelligent 
soul. A soul that informs it, as philosophers say, 
pervades it through every pore, gives life to it, 
animates it, acts in it, and through it. In the 
second place, the soul of Jesus is the principal link 
of the hypostatic union of the eternal Word of God 
with this particular body of our assumed humanity. 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



329 



St. Bernard says : " The eternal Word, the created 
soul of Jesus, and His most holy body, are united 
indissolubly in one person." (St. Ber., Serm. ii, in 
Nativ. Domini.) Finally, to the second person of 
the eternal Word, as faith teaches, the Father and 
the Holy Ghost are linked by the eternal, everlast- 
ing union of the divine nature. Hence, " in Jesus 
Christ" as St. Paul says, "dwelleth all the fulness of 
the Godhead corporally" (Col., ii, 9.) The body 
of Jesus Christ is the true living temple of God, 
the living tabernacle of the most holy Trinity, the 
animated ark of the new covenant of grace, the seat 
of divine wisdom, the throne of holiness, majesty, 
authority and power. In this most sacred body of 
Jesus " are hidden all the treasures of grace, wisdom, 
and knowledge." (Col., ii, 3.) 

If God required that the ark of the covenant 
should be framed with incorruptible setim-wood, 
and overlaid within and without with the purest 
gold, what body will God have prepared for the 
soul of His divine Son ? This body was to be the 
immediate instrument of our redemption, sanctifica- 
tion and salvation. Through this body Jesus was 
to glorify God more than by the creation of the 
whole universe. Through this glorified body Jesus 
will, during a blessed eternity, give more honor and 
glory to the most holy Trinity, than all the angels 
and saints of heaven united. After having atten- 
tively considered all these solemn truths, every 
intelligent Christian must wonder how the body of 
Jesus could have remained during thirty-three years 
a natural body of flesh, without being transformed 
into a glorified state, as it was for a short time on 
Mount Thabor. But our divine Lord and Master 
solved this mystery when Fie said, "Ought not 
Christ to have suffered all these things" the scourge, 
the crown of thorns, the crucifixion, "and so enter 
into his glory ? " (Luke, xxi v, 26.) 

What horror would the Jewish people have felt 
had they seen a number of their pagan enemies 



330 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



break in pieces the sacred ark of the covenant, and 
trample them under their impious feet? . . . Christian 
reader ! we are now going to witness the most holy, 
most beautiful, most delicate body of Jesus cruelly 
fastened with nails to the infamous wood of the 
cross. This most holy temple of God will be 
destroyed by cruel hands. This living tabernacle of 
the most Holy Trinity wiii be sacrilegiously profaned 
by impious men. The sacred feet, the most holy 
hands of Jesus will be barbarously gashed by rough 
nails, and His most loving heart will be transfixed 
with a lance. Let us devoutly draw near Jesus, and 
learn from Him the sad history of this awful tragedy 
of Mount Calvary ; the most horrible crime com- 
mitted by man's wickedness. 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 

Voice of Jesus. 

The distance from the western gate of Jerusalem, 
which was called the Gate of Judgment, was short. 
As soon ^s we arrived on the top of Mount Calvary, 
we were commanded to halt. By a military evolu- 
tion the soldiers surrounded me and my two 
companions, condemned to death. The various 
executioners were included within this military 
circle. The three crosses, the nails, the hammers and 
other instruments of torture were laid on the ground 
near our feet and under our eyes. We could at a 
glance perceive what torments were prepared for us. 

The fiercest-looking executioners drew near me 
and roughly stripped me of my garments, which 
they laid down in a heap on the ground. Then 
they offered me to drink some very bitter vinegar 
mixed with gall. Immediately after this, they 
ordered me to lie down on the cross, extended on 
the ground close to my feet. I humbly knelt down 
by it, took hold of it with my hands, and affection- 



Crucifixion of our Lord. 



331 



ately kissed it, with a transport of joy, as the altar 
|of my long-desired sacrifice. I laid myself down 
with my wounded back upon this hard and rough 
gibbet. One of the executioners seized my right 
hand, which he held with a strong grip, and pressed 
to the extremity of the right arm of the cross. A 
second executioner placed the point of a large and 
long nail upon the palm of the hand resting on the 
wood, and by repeated heavy blows of a hammer, he 
drove the whole nail through the flesh, veins, arteries, 
nerves, and muscles of my bleeding hand, quivering 
with pain. The same was done with my left hand. 
At the same time, two other executioners were en- 
gaged in the more difficult and more painful opera- 
tion of the crucifixion of my feet. The two nails for 
my feet were much larger and longer than those of 
the hands. So, in a short time, my hands and feet 
were strongly fastened with four nails to the cross. 

This crucifixion was executed in the sight of a 
large multitude of heartless people, who, with their 
wild shouts of approbation, encouraged the bloody 
work of the cruel executioners. I was for some 
moments left extended on this hard bed of extreme 
sufferings. Every limb of my body was quivering 
with spasms of excruciating pain. I raised my eyes 
to heaven, and offered all these sufferings to my 
eternal Father, fervently beseeching Him to forgive 
all sinners, all my persecutors, and the four execu- 
tioners imbrued with my blood. 1 offered to Him 
my blood and my life for the redemption and salva- 
tion of all mankind. 

Had I been left to die in this position, my agony 
and death would have been painful enough for my 
tortured body. But I had foretold that, " as Moses 
lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son 
of man be lifted up on the cross." (John, iii, 14.) 
Hence, my four executioners lifted me up in the air 
with the cross, the foot of which they let fall into 
the hole prepared, which caused a sudden jerk and 
a most painful shock to my crucified body. This 



332 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



produced in me an agony of pain that oppressed 
my throbbing heart. 

When the vast crowd of spectators beheld my 
wounded and bleeding body lifted up above their 
heads on the cross, they renewed their barbarous 
exclamations of joy, and uttered a torrent of abusive 
epithets and maledictions against me. I gave them 
a look of tender and loving compassion. I then 
beheld my dearest Mother, pale in her countenance 
with agonizing grief. Our eyes met. O my child ! 
what painful looks were these ! I bowed my head 
down in prayer. 

At this moment the sun was darkened, and the 
whole earth was enveloped in deep gloom, mourning 
for my sake. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. Contemplate, Christian soul, your divine Re- 
deemer extended on the cross ; look at His wounds, 
see His blood, consider His sufferings. On this 
painful gibbet, Jesus has no place for support or 
rest in His extreme agony. The weight of His 
body is suspended on the cold and bloody nails that 
pierce His hands and feet. The wounds of these 
are constantly irritated by the nervous agitations 
of His body quivering with pain. If our crucified 
Lord attempts to support Himself with His hands, 
the rough nails enlarge the two wounds and increase 
His sufferings. If He rests upon His feet trans- 
fixed with nails, His pain becomes so intense that a 
swoon of death oppresses His heart. See how 
His countenance becomes in turn livid with pain, 
then pale with agony. In His weakness, Jesus can- 
not support His head crowned with thorns. But 
if He leans backward against the wood of the cross, 
the thorns are driven more deeply in His head ; if 



Practical Reflections, 



333 



He leans it upon His right or left shoulder, the ex- 
ternal thorns prick His arms stretched on the cross ; 
if He bends it forward on His chest, the weight of 
the body intensifies the sufferings of the hands and 
feet. Jesus can now say : " O all ye that pass by 
the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like unto 
my sorrow y (Lam., i, 12.) 

But, instead of pity and compassion for His suf- 
ferings, our Lord receives taunts and insults from 
His enemies. They wag their heads in derision, 
and utter blasphemies against Him. 

II. Stop, Christian soul! draw near to the cross 
of ) 7 our Saviour. Console His afflicted heart by 
your compassionate devotion. Kiss the bleeding 
wounds of His feet. Adore that divine blood shed 
for your salvation. Thank your Saviour for His 
infinite goodness and mercy in suffering this horrible 
crucifixion in atonement for your crimes. Ask 
Him to bathe your soul in His sacred blood, that, 
like a heavenly balm, it may heal the wounds and 
wash away all the stains of sin. Offer to Him 
your own body as a voluntary victim of penance. 
Consecrate to Him your hands, and promise to em- 
ploy them for the future in virtuous and charitable 
works, in works of piety and religion in His honor ; 
in works of mercy, in behalf of His suffering mem- 
bers, the poor. Consecrate to Him your feet, and 
resolve sincerely and effectively to employ them, 
oftener than you have done in the past, in visiting 
Him in His holy temple, and in the abodes of misery, 
affliction and sickness. Remember that Jesu 
reckons as done to Himself every act of charity you 
perform in behalf of His little ones, the destitute, 
the poor, the ignorant, the sick. (Matt., xxv, 40.) 

Lastly, prostrate yourself in body and soul at the 
foot of the cross of your agonizing Redeemer, and 
say to Him: "I adore thee, Jesus, my Lord and 
Saviour ! and with my heart on my lips, I bless Thee, 
because, through Thy holy cross and passion, Thou 
hast redeemed the world." 



334 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Second Point. 

Consider, Christian soul, the grand spectacle that 
fills with awe both heaven and earth. The earth is 
in darkness, and heaven in mourning and tears. 
The rocks are rent with grief, because their Creator 
is crucified. The whole earth shivers with horror, 
because her Lord is nailed to the cross. The sun 
is shrouded in gloom, because Jesus, the eternal 
Sun of Justice, is suffering in the agony of death. 
The angels cover their faces with horror, on behold- 
ing the God of Majesty bleeding and dying on the 
infamous gibbet of the cross. Great God ! what an 
awful crime has been committed in Jerusalem ! 
The eternal Word of God made man, Jesus the 
only begotten Son of God, the Creator of the uni- 
verse, the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, 
Jesus the most beautiful, the most innocent, the 
most loving Son of Mary, is crucified between two 
highway robbers, as the most wicked and most in- 
famous malefactor. This is the awful spectacle we 
have to contemplate on this memorable day. It is 
the grandest spectacle of justice, of mercy, of charity, 
that has ever attracted the attention of the holiest 
souls upon earth, and which will form the subject 
of their eternal admiration in heaven. 

I. It is a spectacle of justice. The eternal Father 
punishes so severely the sins of men, in the person 
of His divine and most beloved Son, because Jesus 
voluntarily undertook to atone for them. It is a 
spectacle of mercy. Here we see our innocent 
Saviour enduring the chastisement due to sinners, 
in order to deliver them from eternal miserv. It is, 
finally, a spectacle of immense charity. The cruci- 
fixion of Jesus shows forth the greatness of God's 
love for us miserable creatures, unworthy sinners. 
The eternal Father sacrifices His only begotten 
Son upon a cross, to save us from hell. He sends 
to death His own Son, to spare the life of a re- 



Practical Reflections. 



335 



bellious slave. "For God so loved the world as to 
give his only begotten Son ; that whosoever believeth 
in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting'' 
(John, iii, 16.) 

But, alas ! that in opposition to this divine spec- 
tacle of mercy and charity, there is another of hu- 
man insensibility and ingratitude. Faith teaches 
that Jesus Christ died for our sins. Had we not 
sinned, Jesus Christ would not have had to die on a 
cross. It was sin that planted the cross of Jesus 
on the top of Mount Calvary. It was sin that forged 
the nails which pierced His innocent hands and 
sacred feet. It was accursed sin that sowed and 
made to grow those sharp thorns with which His 
adorable head was so horribly crowned. Yet, how 
few Christians, how few ! ever think of this. On the 
contrary, sin is daily committed without restraint. 
Iniquity is swallowed up like water, according to 
the complaint of the Holy Ghost. "How unprofit- 
able and abominable is man, who drinketh iniquity 
like water?" (Job, xv, 16.) This water of iniquity 
in these unhappy days is overflowing the earth, 
and drowning innumerable souls deeply in hell. So 
many sins are committed, so many souls are lost, 
because Christians refuse to consider how much our 
divine Lord had to suffer for our sins upon the cross. 
This is an incomprehensible Insensibility. But there 
is also a horrible ingratitude. In fact, the infinite 
charity manifested by God in the crucifixion, passion 
and death of Jesus, our Lord, should inflame the 
heart of every Christian with divine love. St. Paul 
could say: "The charity of Christ presseth us." (2 
Cor., v, 14.) From this furnace of charity the hearts 
of all the saints and great servants of God were 
inflamed with His love. Burning with this fire of 
charity, they despised all human love. But such 
generous lovers of Christ are few and far between. 
Charity has cooled, and iniquity abounds. Men 
can love the creature, but they forget their Creator 
and Redeemer. Jesus hangs upon the cross for 



336 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



the salvation of all men ; but only a few loving souls 
are near Him. The crowd derides and despises 
Him ; then it turns its back on Him, goes away, 
and forgets Him. 

II. Christian reader, we will not follow this im- 
pious crowd of ungrateful wretches. We will join 
the company of the afflicted Mother of Jesus, with 
the beloved disciple, the penitent Magdalen, and 
the devout women. W e will remain with them near 
the cross of our suffering Saviour. We will wit- 
ness His agony ; we will listen to His dying words ; 
we will treasure them in our hearts. Like burning 
coals from heaven, they will purify them from every 
earthly dross, and inflame them with that divine fire 
which Jesus came to cast upon earth, and which He 
so ardently desires to see enkindled in the hearts of 
all men. 



Third Point. 

I. In this holy company we will be able to learn 
most important practical lessons. From the most 
holy Mother of our crucified Saviour, we can learn a 
lesson of the most perfect resignation to God's holy 
will. Blessed Mary loves her Son Jesus. O, how 
she loves Him! In our preliminary remarks we 
have read something of her maternal love. But 
look now at the grief of her heart expressed in the 
paleness of her countenance, in the expression of her 
eyes, when she looks at her crucified Son. See her 
tears. Her deep sighs would melt a heart of stone. 
Ah ! yes, yes, dear afflicted mother ! you love, you 
love Jesus, your Son. . . . Yet our blessed Lady is 
perfectly resigned to the will of God. God wills the 
crucifixion of Jesus ; Mary fully and freely consents 
to it. God desires the sacrifice of His Son on the 
altar of the cross ; Mary has come to be present at 
it. Standing at the foot of the cross, she repeats, 
at every oulsation of her maternal heart, the words 



Practical Reflections, 



337 



she addressed to the angel: "Behold the handmaid 
of the Lord ; be it done to me and to my Son, accord- 
ing to the decree of Gods adorable will " — Fiat volun- 
tas tua. 

II. Christian soul! the more God loves you, the 
more painful sacrifices He will demand from your 
heart. It may be the death of a person very near 
and very dear to you. In such a case give a glance 
to Jesus on the cross, and a look to His loving 
Mother at the foot of it. Jesus is incomparably 
nearer and dearer to Mary, than any person on 
earth can be to you. But she is perfectly resigned. 
Jesus dies in a manner most painful to a mother's 
heart ; yet the great soul of Mary is fully conformed 
to God's holy will. . . . She is your model for 
imitation. Say with her from your heart : My 
God, Thy will be done. 

Next to the blessed Mother of Jesus we behold 
St. John, the beloved disciple. He is a model of 
a virginal heart. His heart has never been sullied 
by any profane affection. Jesus was his first love. 
For the sake of Jesus and next to Him, John loves 
the Virgin Mother of our Lord. From the heart 
of Jesus he caught the fire, and his devotion to 
Mary feeds it. John is a model of fidelity in love to 
Jesus and Mary. Neither the shame of Calvary, 
nor the dread of the cross, could keep him away 
from Jesus or from Mary, the only beloved objects 
of his virginal heart. 

III. Christian soul, despond not if you are not a 
virgin. Behold the penitent Magdalen at the foot 
of Jesus' cross. With love divine she purifies the 
rust of sinful love. The heart of Magdalen was 
made for love. " Many sins were forgiven, because 
she loved much." (Luke, vii, 46.) These words of 
her divine physician indicate the nature both of her 
malady and of her cure. Profane love poisoned 
and corrupted the affectionate heart, of Magdalen. 
But in this fever she could not find rest or peace. 
She went in search of her heavenly physician ; she 

15 



333 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



cast herself at His feet, and bathed them with her 
penitential tears. These tears extinguished in her 
heart all sinful affection, and her soul was inflamed 
with the love of Jesus. From that happy moment 
Jesus reigned supreme in her heart. Thus many- 
sins were forgiven her, because she loved much. 
Behold now, at the foot of the cross, this great 
lover of Jesus crucified. . . . Have you, like Mag- 
dalen, been deceived by the yearnings of your heart 
of flesh ? Turn, like her^ your affections to Jesus 
and consecrate your heart to him. If you love 
much, many sins will be forgiven you. 

IV. From the other devout women at the foot ol 
the cross, we should learn a lesson of confidence in 
the protection of Jesus in time of public trials and 
persecution. The whole Jewish nation is persecut- 
ing their divine Master ; the Roman governor ha 
condemned Him to death. The executioners, after 
scourging Him at the pillar, after crowning Him 
with thorns, have at last nailed Him to the cross on 
Calvary. These women, timid by nature, but ani- 
mated by His love, and strengthened by His grace, 
follow our Lord to the place of execution, and be- 
hold them now close to His cross. They fear not 
an irritated mob, they dread not a brutal soldiery. 
There they bravely stand on Mount Calvary, and, 
by their presence, by their grief, by their tears, and 
by their loving devotion, these holy women publicly 
profess their faith and their religion in Jesus cruci- 
fied. Their faith in Him is their shield, and they 
are not disappointed in their hope. Oh! what an 
example for the Christians of these days of trial 
and persecution of the Church of Jesus Christ! 
Shall we imitate it? 



Practical Reflections. 



339 



Fourth Point. 

Consider the following words of our divine 
Saviour : " Now is the judgment of the world. Now 
shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if 
I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to 
myself. Now, this he said, signifying what death he 
should die." (John, xii, 31.) 

I. The cross of Jesus has, in every age of Chris- 
tianity, been the divine magnet that has drawn to 
Him the most noble and generous souls. The 
history of heroic sanctity proves this. We can only 
select a few practical instances for our meditation. 

All the apostles of our Lord were great lovers of 
the cross. St. Peter selected it for the instrument 
of his death in Rome. His worthy brother, St. 
Andrew, being condemned to the death of the cross 
for preaching Jesus crucified to the inhabitants of 
Patras in Achaia, gave fervent thanks to God for 
the great honor of dying like his divine Master. 
Led to the place of execution, as soon as this holy 
apostle beheld the cross prepared for him, he raised 
his hands towards it in a transport of joy, and ex- 
claimed : " O holy cross, sanctified and rendered 
beautiful to the eyes of faith by thy contact with the 
sacred body of my divine Master ! I have ardently 
longed for thee. I have always loved thee. I have 
everywhere searched after thee without intermis- 
sion. I have found thee at last. My heart is satis- 
fied. Receive me in thy arms, and restore me to 
my Master, that I may be acceptable to Him, who 
through thee became my Redeemer. (Acts of St. 
Andrew's Martyrdom.) 

St. Paul, the fervent apostle of Jesus crucified, 
speaks in the following manner : "Brethren, I judge 
myself to knoiv nothing among you but Jesus cruci- 
fied." (1 Cor., ii, 2.) " With Christ I am nailed to 
the cross." (Gal., ii, 19.) " God forbid that I should 
glory but in the cross of - our Lord Jesus Christ ; by 



340 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world." 
(Gal., vi, 14.) All the martyrs manifested their 
strong love for the cross, by enduring the most 
excruciating torments for their faith and love in 
Jesus crucified. Jesus on the cross was both their 
model and their support. 

II. All the Fathers and holy Doctors of the Church 
were taught at the school of Jesus crucified on 
Mount Calvary. The great St. Augustine often 
meditated on the passion of Jesus, and in all his trials 
and temptations he took refuge in the wounds of 
his crucified Saviour. To Him he addressed these 
words: " Thou, O Lord, hast made of Thy body a 
mirror for my soul " — Fecisti, Domine, de corpore 
tuo speculum anirnce mecz. Judging from his own 
happy experience, St. Augustine said : " There is 
nothing more effectively conducive to eternal sal- 
vation, than the daily meditation on the passion of 
Jesus Christ." 

St. Bernard uses the following words in relation 
to the passion of our Lord : " True wisdom and the 
perfection of science is obtained in our meditation 
on the passion of Jesus Christ. My most sublime 
philosophy is to know Jesus Christ, and Him cruci- 
fied, " (Serm. 42, in Cantic.) 

St. Francis of Assisium, through his intense love 
of our crucified Lord, deserved, during the three 
last years of his life, to be made a living crucifix, 
bearing on his body the five wounds of our Saviour. 

The seraphic doctor, St. Bonaventure, being asked 
by St. Thomas of Aquin in what book he learned his 
great wisdom, devoutly pointed with his finger to a 
crucifix, and said : " Father Thomas, this is the 
book of all my knowledge. " He added : " Nothing 
contributes more to the universal sanctification of 
a soul, than the meditation of Christ's holy passion. " 
The Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas, deserved to hear 
these words miraculously addressed to him from 
an image of our crucified Saviour : " Thomas, thou 
hast written well of me: what reward wilt thou 



Practical Reflections. 



341 



accept? " The saint answered : " Lord, I desire no 
other reward but Thee alone." (From his Life.) 

III. What shall we think of those great lovers 
of our crucified Jesus, St. Bridget, St. Gertrude, 
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Mary Mag.dalen of 
Pazzi, St. Catharine of Sienna, St. Teresa? 

We should need many volumes to describe the 
devotion to the passion of our Lord manifested in 
the lives of St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, St. 
Francis Borgia, St. John of God, St. John of the 
Cross, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. Charles Borromeo, 
St. Philip Neri, St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio, St 
Alphonsus Liguori, the learned founder of the 
religious Order of our Holy Redeemer, St. Paul of 
the Cross, the founder of the religious Congrega- 
tion of the holy Cross and Passion. 

St. Francis de Sales will give a general descrip- 
tion of the sentiments entertained by these and all 
other saints and servants of God about the passion 
of our Lord. Upon these words of St. Paul, " The 
charity of Christ presseth us" (2 Cor., v, 14), this 
sweet lover of Jesus says : " Nothing has such 
power over the heart of man as love. Love wins 
and subdues the human heart. As soon as we 
perceive that we are loved by another, our heart 
is constrained to reciprocate this affection. But 
the power of this love increases in proportion to 
the height from which it descends. When we 
discover that we are loved by a personage in high 
dignity, a kind of sweet violence is done to our 
heart. We are morally forced to return love for 
love. Now, we know that Jesus Christ has loved 
us. He is the best and the noblest lover. He is 
the eternal Son of God. He is the Lord of lords, 
the King of kings, the supreme Monarch of heaven 
and earth, of angels and men. Jesus has loved us 
to such an excess as to die for us upon a cross. 
Look, devout soul, at your crucified Lover. See 
how His arms are stretched out in love for you. 
His adorable head is bowed down to whisper these 



342 



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words to your ear: " My child, I suffer all this for 
your sake ; I suffer this death to win your heart." 
Can your heart resist such an appeal? O Chris- 
tian soul ! cast yourself into the loving arms of your 
crucified Saviour, and say to Him — 



Prayer. 

Jesus, my crucified Love, I adore Thy Majesty, 
I thank Thy mercy, I love Thy infinite goodness. 
Allow me to kiss, with my heart upon my lips, Thy 
sacred hands and holy feet nailed to the cross for 
love of me. My crucified Love, I wish to live and 
die crucified with Thee. May the love that has 
fastened Thee to the cross, bind me forever to Thy 
sacred heart, throbbing with love for me. Inflame 
me with Thy love. Destroy every terrene affection 
in my heart with the fire of Thy divine charity. 
Grant that the same fire which consumes Thee up- 
on the altar of the cross, may make me a perfect 
holocaust of Thy divine love. Thy charity, O cru- 
cified Jesus ! presses me, and does a sweet violence 
to my cold heart. I desire to love Thee with all 
the faculties of my soul, with all the power of ray 
mind, with all the strength of my will. God of 
goodness, infinite mercy, incarnate charity crucified 
for me ! I adore Thee upon the cross. I wish to praise, 
thank, love and honor Thee in life, in death, and 
during a blessed eternity in company with all Thy 
angels and saints, particularly with those who were 
present at Thy crucifixion on Mount Calvary, or 
who had a special devotion to Thy sacred passion. 

Most afflicted, because most loving, Mother of 
my crucified Saviour! your maternal heart was 
transfixed with those four nails that fastened to the 
cross the sacred and most delicate limbs of your 
divine Son, Jesus. Dearest Mother! I do most sin- 
cerely compassionate you in your extreme sorrow. 
I beseech you by the grief you experienced at the 



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343 



foot of the cross, to obtain for me a true and hearty 
sorrow and detestation for all my sins, with a fervent 
love for your divine Son, who suffered and died for 
me. By the sorrow with which you witnessed His 
agony and death upon the cross, vouchsafe, sweetest 
Mother, to assist me at the hour of my death, that 
with Jesus crucified in my heart, and in my hands, 
I may die the death of the just, and, like the penitent 
thief,. I may on the same day, through your inter- 
cession, be admitted into heaven to praise and 
glorify Him with you for all eternity. Amen. 



344 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXI. CONSIDERATION. 



THE GARMENTS OF JESUS ARE DIVIDED BETWEEN 
HIS EXECUTIONERS. 



Preliminary Remarks. 

I. Among the pagan Romans, the executioners 
had the privilege of appropriating to themselves 
the garments and other articles found on the person 
put by them to death. St. Cyril says : " Vestes dam- 
natorum quasi hcereditatis lege ad se pertinent es sibi 
vindicant" From the Gospel it appears that four 
were the executioners appointed by the Roman 
governor, Pilate, for the crucifixion of our divine 
Saviour. St. John says : " Then the soldiers, when 
they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and 
they made four parts, a part to every soldier" 
(John, xix, 23.) Hereupon St. Augustine says : 
" From these words it appears that by order of the 
Roman President four soldiers were detailed for the 
crucifixion of Jesus" — Unde apparet quatuor fuisse 
milites, qui in eo crucifigendo Preesidi paruerunt. 
(Tract. 118, in Joan.) 

Some authors are of the opinion that each of these 
executioners drove a nail into the hand or foot of 
the divine Victim. For this reason each claimed 
an equal share in the spoils. 

II. In conformity with the common customs of 
that time in Palestine, the entire suit of dress for 
men contained the following articles, which most 
likely were used by our divine Lord. 

1st. The interior garment, which, like a shirt, 
reached from the neck to the knees ; this garment 
was called the tunic. 

2d. Over this tunic, for the sake of modesty, an- 



Jesus' Garments Distributed. 



345 



other raiment was commonly worn in the form of 
ample breeches, similar to those worn by our mod- 
ern Zouaves, and still used by Asiatic men. This 
garment was fastened round the waist and below 
the knees. 

3d. The real dress consisted of a full and long 
garment covering the whole body, concealing the 
two under-garments, and reaching down to the feet. 
This was similar to a religious habit, or to the eccle- 
siastical dress used by Catholic priests, called the 
cassock. 

4th. This long and wide dress was fastened and 
adapted round the waist with a convenient band or 
girdle. This girdle is often mentioned in different 
parts of the Bible. 

5th, A toga, or large cloak with wide sleeves, was 
donned, as a full dress and dignified upper garment. 

6th. Lastly, sandals were used on the feet. These 
were intended to protect the soles of the feet, the 
upper part of which was left uncovered. The strict 
Carmelites and Franciscan Friars, as well as the 
Passionists, wear similar sandals. 

Now it is very probable, in fact, it appears almost 
certain, that our divine Redeemer had all these six 
articles of dress at His crucifixion on Mount Cal- 
vary. The tunic is mentioned by St. John the 
Evangelist. "Now the coat" he says, "was without 
seam woven from top throughout. They, the soldiers, 
said one to another, let us not cut it, but let us cast lots 
for it whose it , shall be. This zvas done that the 
Scriptures might be fulfilled, saying : They have parted 
my garments among them, and upon my vesture they 
have cast lots." (Ps., xxi, 19.) " And the soldiers in- 
deed did these things." (John, xix, 24) 

Eutymius, in his learned commentaries on the 
Gospel, says, that it was the opinion of the ancient 
Fathers of the Church, that this seamless tunic 
had been woven by the blessed Mother of our Lord 
for His use, when He was a small boy. From the 
first time He put it on His sacred body, He never 



34^ 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



took it off, or changed it, until it was taken off from 
Him at the scourging, and lastly at His crucifixion. 
This seamless tunic grew with His body, and adapt- 
ed itself to His size. It was not consumed, or wasted 
by use. We will not be surprised at this prodigy, 
when we reflect that a greater one was wrought by 
God on behalf of the entire Jewish nation during 
forty years. Hence, holy Moses twice reminded 
the people of this miracle in these words : " God 
hath brought you forty years through the desert. 
Your garments are not worn out, neither are the 
shoes of your feet consumed with age." (Deut., viii, 
xxix, 5.) There was a special reason for the mirac- 
ulous preservation of the seamless tunic of our 
blessed Lord. It was a very expressive symbol of 
the unity of person in His assumed humanity, and 
a figure of the unity and holiness of His Church. 
St. Athanasius, in his sermon on the crucifixion, con- 
firms the opinion of Eutymius about the origin, 
miraculous preservation and growth of this holy 
seamless tunic of our Saviour. This most precious 
relic is preserved with great veneration, and oc- 
casionally exhibited to the people in the Cathedral 
of Treves. 

The second garment mentioned above was with- 
out doubt used by our most holy Redeemer. It 
is the pious opinion of some authors, that this 
under-garment was left upon our Lord at His cruci- 
fixion. Hence, judicious Christian artists, in painting 
the crucifixion, leave this garment on the body of 
our crucified Lord. Respect for His sacred person 
justifies this opinion. There cannot be any doubt 
that He wore the full long dress with the girdle 
round His body. This was the ordinary dress 
common to all men. His cloak is mentioned in 
the Gospel. This cloak is the garment which 
our Lord laid aside in the supper-room, when He 
washed the feet of His apostles. This is mentioned 
by St. John. (Chapter xiii, 4.) We may also believe 
that, in His frequent and long journeys through 



Jesus Garments Distributed. 347 



Palestine in company with His apostles, our Lord 
used ordinary sandals common among the poorer 
classes of men. The apostles used them, for when 
St. Peter was delivered from prison through the 
miraculous interposition of an angel, he was direct- 
ed to put on his sandals. " The angel said to him :. 
Gird thyself, and put on thy sandals. A nd he did so. 
A nd he said to him : Cast thy garments about thee, and 
follow me." (Acts, xii, 8.) From these words we 
gather four of the six articles of dress mentioned 
above. St. Peter was directed by the angel to gird 
his upper dress in which he was sleeping in the 
prison. This shows that St. Peter used a girdle 
over his long dress, or cassock. Then the sandals 
are mentioned, and the cloak. Cast thy garment 
about thee. We may conclude, then, that our bless- 
ed Saviour at His crucifixion wore these four 
articles of dress, besides the other two inner gar- 
ments mentioned above. (Ventura il tesoro Nascosto 
Omilia 28.) 

III. Finally, the seamless tunic was not cut by the 
soldiers, but they cast lots, and it was given entire 
to the winner. In the preservation of this seamless 
tunic, the Fathers of the Church, and the interpreters 
and commentators of the Scripture, see the indivisible 
unity of the Church of Jesus Christ, which shall 
never be divided by her bitterest enemies, or by her 
most powerful persecutors. Tunica ilia significat 
unit at em quce caritatis vinculo continetur. (St. August, 
tract. 118, in Joan.) This should be a source of 
great consolation and firm hope for us Catholics in 
these gloomy days of persecution and affliction. 



Voice of Jesus. 

After my crucifixion, my garments were divided 
among the four soldiers who nailed me to the 
cross. As soon as the cross had been lifted up, and 
well secured in the ground, these executioners sat 



348 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



down near it to watch me, and at the same time 
they divided among themselves all my raiments, 
except the seamless tunic : which they agreed not 
to cut, but to cast lots for it. One of the soldiers 
having won the coveted spoil, took possession of it. 

The history of this fact is short, my child, but 
several useful lessons can be learned from it. This 
division of my garments, this casting of lots for 
my seamless tunic, appears to be an ordinary event ; 
but every circumstance about my passion, cruci- 
fixion, and death was from all eternity well known 
to me. All was decreed by my heavenly Father. 
More than a thousand years ago this circumstance 
was foretold by my royal ancestor, David, in these 
words: "They have parted my garments among 
tliem, and upon my vesture they have cast lots." 
(Ps., xxi, 19.) Without knowing it, and contrary to 
their intention, these soldiers contributed to the 
realization of my divine and eternal decrees. 
Nothing happens in this world which has not been 
preordained by the wisdom of my divine provi- 
dence. Moreover, my garments are divided and 
appropriated by my executioners who are Roman 
soldiers, and this is done in my presence, and be- 
fore my death. Learn two lessons, my child, from 
this fact, learn my entire detachment from every 
earthly good. I wish by this to give an example 
of my poverty of spirit tor the imitation of all my 
true disciples. Before my death on the cross, I 
was dead to every earthly thing. So should all my 
followers be. 

Again, in this translation of my garments, during 
my last hours on the cross, into the possession of 
the Romans, began the execution of my last will 
and testament, transferring from Jerusalem to Rome, 
from the Jews to the Romans, my faith, religion 
and worship. My seamless tunic was a guarantee 
of the indissoluble and perpetual unity of my 
Church, thus transferred to Rome before my death 
upon the cross on Mount Calvary. Study well 



Practical Reflections. 



349 



these important lessons, my child. They will prove 
very profitable to thy soul. 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

I. According to St. Augustine, the cross is the 
chair from which our divine Master gives lessons 
of eternal wisdom. "The wood to which were 
nailed the members of Jesus crucified, became the 
chair of Jesus teaching." (Tract, in Joan. 119.) 
Let us respectfully draw near it, and listen to Him 
with attention. He teaches us that no event takes 
place in this world without His knowledge and 
consent. It must be so ; because Jesus is God, 
and God is eternal and infinite wisdom. Nothing 
happens through blind fate. Fate is a folly of hu- 
man impiety, which denies the existence of divine 
Providence. Sound reason and true philosophy 
demonstrate that God alone, who created this 
world, can preserve its existence. This preservation 
is the work of His divine providence, which takes 
care of all creatures from the highest angel to the 
meanest insect. Our divine Master assures us that 
not a single hair can fall from our head without 
God's permission. Fate properly understood is 
nothing else and nothing less than the decree of 
God's eternal will expressed by the divine Word. 
For fate has its etymology in fart, a Latin verb, 
which signifies speech or word. Hence it really 
signifies the decree of God expressed by His eternal 
word. Now, Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God 
made man. Nothing, then, can happen to us with- 
out His knowledge, and contrary to His holy will. 

The division of His garments at the foot of the 
cross by the four soldiers, their casting lots upon 
our Lord's seamless tunic, were foreseen and decreed 
by Almighty God from all eternity. The royal 



350 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



prophet David foretold this event in the most ex- 
plicit manner more than a thousand years before. 
" They have parted my garments among them, and upon 
my vesture they have cast lots." (Ps. xxi, ig.) 

These precious relics, thus divided, and passing 
into the hands of pagan soldiers, seemed destined 
to profanation and oblivion, but they were, by the 
watchful providence of God, better preserved to 
Christians, than if they had fallen into the hands of 
the perfidious Jews. Whether these executioners, 
or the members of their families, were converted to 
the faith of Jesus Christ, or the devotion of the 
primitive Christians purchased them, these holy 
relics are now venerated in different parts of the 
Catholic Church. 

II. Let us learn from this the great practical 
maxim of religion that, whatever happens in this 
world, has been foreseen and preordained by God's 
holy providence. This was the prevailing idea of 
all the great servants of God in the Old Testament. 
They recognized the hand of God in every event, 
public or private, agreeable or disagreeable. All 
Christian saints have done the same. This is the 
true spirit of practical faith, which makes saints. 
u Because the just man liveth by faith." (Gal., iii, 2.) 

Through all His passion, our divine Master 
recognized in it the execution of His Father's ador- 
able will. " The chalice" He said, "which my 
Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? " (John, 
xviii, 2.) "Father, not my will, but thine be done." 
(Matt., xxvi, 42.) 

In the large share which our holy Church has, 
in these days of bitter trials, in the passion of our 
Lord, let us adore the holy will of God. She is 
stripped of her earthly possessions, as her divine 
Spouse and Master was of His garments. Jesus 
foresaw and foretold all these trials, persecutions 
and oppressions. The Church, stripped, naked, poor 
and persecuted, is more like her divine Founder on 
the cross. Hence, she must be dearer and nearer 



Practical Reflections. 



351 



to His heart. She will be more abundantly en- 
riched by Him with His heavenly gifts and graces 
during time upon earth, and clad with glory in 
heaven. 

III. It might be wise to reflect whether this 
universal spoliation of the Church by the power of 
darkness were not a presage of the approaching 
general judgment, when all will be destroyed by an 
universal conflagration. Reflect that this earth 
has been created by God for His elect. When 
these, by oppression, persecution and injustice, are 
deprived of it by the wicked, the end of the world 
must be approaching. This thought is not un- 
worthy the serious consideration of Christian 
minds. 

Lastly, reflect, Christian reader, that, if you have 
personally to endure some trials, losses, sufferings, 
calumnies, persecutions for justice' sake, you are a 
member of the mystical body of Christ : as such you 
suffer with Him, and with His holy Church. Your 
soul will be enriched with merits during life, and 
will deserve the crown of glory during a happy 
eternity. " Blessed are they that suffer persecution 
for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!' 
(Matt., v, 10.) 



Second Point, 

I. Consider the extreme poverty of Jesus Christ 
upon the cross. His garments were His only 
possession. He was stripped of these before His 
crucifixion. They were parted under His eyes be- 
fore His death. Jesus, then, is reduced to extreme 
poverty. During His life, He had not a hut wherein 
to live ; at His death, He has not a garment to cover 
His wounded and bleeding body. In His agony on 
the cross, He could not get a drop of water to 
assuage His burning thirst. This is poverty. 



352 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



This poverty so dear to His sacred heart, Jesus 
bequeaths to His disciples. To those who wish to 
follow Him, he gives the advice to sell all their 
possessions, and distribute the price thereof among 
the poor. To the poor in spirit He gives a special 
blessing, and secures to them the eternal possession 
of the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are the poor 
in spirit" He says, "for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven" (Matt., v, 3.) 

Terrible are His words for those Christians whose 
hearts are attached to the perishable goods of this 
miserable earth. Listen to them. Jesus said to 
His disciples: " Amen, I say to you, that a rich man 
shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven, . . . 
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a 
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom 
of heaven" (Matt., xix, 23.) 

II. Christian soul, dread those riches that can be so 
fatal to your eternal salvation. Love that poverty 
that secures for you the possession of an eternal 
kingdom of glory and bliss. "Blessed are the poor 
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," Admire 
the wisdom of those noble souls, who renounce 
riches to profess evangelical poverty in the obscur- 
ity of the cloister. If you are poor in the goods of 
this world, do not envy, but rather pity the rich, 
who are exposed to so many dangers for time and 
eternity. Consider well the following words of St. 
Paul, so much forgotten in these days of ambitious 
covetousness after perishable wealth : " Piety zvith 
sufficiency is great gain. For we brought nothing into 
this world ; and certainly we can carry nothing out. 
But having food and wherewith to be covered, with 
these we are content. For they who would become rich, 
fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and 
into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which 
drown men in destruction and perdition. For covetous- 
ness is the root of all evils ; which some desiring, have 
erred from the faith, and have entangled themselves in 
many sorrows." (i Tim., vi, 6-10.) Would to God 



Practical Reflections. 



353 



those words of divine inspiration were printed in 
large letters of gold, and hung up as a tablet in 
every room in all Christian houses. But at least 
meditate on them, whilst God places them before 
your eyes on this page. 

Are you poor, dear reader? Reflect that we 
brought nothing into this world ; and certainly we 
can carry nothing out of it. St. Paul asserts that 
he and his fellow-apostles, the bishops and priests, 
with all Christians of his time, were perfectly satis- 
fied when they had the necessary food, and ordinary 
garments wherewith to be covered. Are you more 
destitute than these primitive Christians? If you 
are, whose fault is it? 

Remember that destitution is generally the pun- 
ishment of sin and vice. " Want is from the Lord 
in the house of the wicked : but the habitation of 
the just shall be blessed." (Pro v., iii. 33.) Hence 
St. Paul says : Piety with sufficiency is great gain. 
He means to say that where there is true Christian 
piety, there will be a sufficiency of food and clothes. 
Taught by personal experience, and by the light 
of faith, holy David could say : " / have been 
young, and now I am old ; and I have not seen the just 
forsaken, nor his children seeking bread!' (Ps. xxxvi, 
25.) Listen to the words of our Saviour: "Be 
not solicitous for your life, zvhat you shall eat, nor for 
yotir body, what you shall put o?t. . . Behold the fowls 
of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor 
gather into barns : yet your heavenly Father feedeth 
them. Are not you of much more value than they? 
And for raiment, why are you solicitous ? Consider the 
lilies of the field, how they grow. . . Now, if God so 
clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to- 
morrow is cast into the fire, how much more will God 
do for you, oh ! ye men of little faith? " 

By these words our divine Lord and Master does 
not intend to teach poor people to be idle, but to be 
pious and virtuous, and to have full confidence in 
His divine providence. Hence He concludes with 



354 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



these admirable words : " Seek ye therefore, first, the 
kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things 
zvill be added unto you." (Matt., vi, 25-33.) 

Conclude from all this that God will not allow a 
truly pious Christian to be in want of the necessaries 
of life ; but if, for the trial of our faith, He were some 
time to permit this, then let us look up to his divine 
Son on the cross, and consider His extreme 
poverty and destitution. " He being rich became 
poor for your sake, that through his poverty you 
might be rich in humility, faith, grace, and merit." 
(2 Cor., viii, 9.) 

III. Finally, to those who are rich in earthly 
goods the Holy Ghost says: " Trust not in iniquity, 
and cover not robberies. If riches abound, set not 
your heart upon them." (Ps. Ixi, ri.) u Remember 
that they, who would become rich, fall into tempta- 
tion, and into the snare of the devil, and into many 
unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men 
in destruction and perdition. Reflect that both the 
rich and the poor are doomed to die ; that as we 
brought nothing into this world, so we most cer- 
tainly can carry nothing out of it. Consider here 
the difference between Lazarus the poor, and Dives 
the wealthy. This is buried in hell ; Lazarus, on 
the contrary, is wafted up to heaven on the wings 
of angels." (Luke, xvi, 19.) Like Dives, you 
have feasted upon earth, and in luxuries you have 
nourished your hearts, whilst hundreds and thou- 
sands of God's poor perished from hunger and 
starvation. " Go to, now ye rich men ; weep and howl 
for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your 
riches are putrified, and your garments are moth-eaten. 
Your gold and silver is rusted : and the rust of them 
shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your 
flesh as fire. You have stored up to yourselves wrath 
against the last days." (James, v, 1-7.) u Riches 
shall not profit in the day of revenge, but justice 
shall deliver from death." (Prov., xi, 4.) u It is 
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, 



Practical Reflections. 



355 



than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." 
(Matt., xix, 23.) 

Reader, be not offended with the writer. He is 
an humble copyist. He faithfully transcribes from 
the Bible these words of eternal truth. They are 
not the expressions of man, but the words of God. 
If they fit your wants, peruse them over again, lis- 
ten to the inspirations of God. Harden not your 
heart. Follow in practice our Saviour's advice : 
"Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, 
that when you shall fail, they may receive you into 
everlasting dwellings." (Luke, xvi, 9.) Our divine 
Master styles riches the mammon of iniquity, because 
they are oftentimes ill-gotten, ill-bestowed, or an 
occasion of evil. At the best, they are but worldly 
and false goods, and not the true, lasting riches of 
a Christian. 

IV. Consider well your case : if your riches have 
been ill-gotten, or ill-bestowed, imitate the example 
of Zacheus, who promptly made a full restitution. 
If your wealth has been an occasion of sin to you, 
redeem your sins by generous alms to the poor and 
needy, "for alms deliver from death, purge azvay sin 
from the soul, and obtain mercy and life everlasting" 
(Tob., xii, 9.) 

If you feel a pang of pain in parting during life 
with a small portion of your wealth, reflect on the 
agony of despair which you shall have to suffer at 
the point of death, when you shall have to lose every- 
thing you possess. You have brought nothing into 
this world at your birth, and certainly you can 
carry nothing out of it at your death. Again, 
" What doth it profit a man if lie gain the whole 
world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man 
give in exchange for his soul f " (Matt., xvi, 26.) Dear 
reader, do you wish to knaw what exchange you 
can give in this moment? Look up attentively to 
your crucified Lord and Saviour. Contemplate 
His extreme poverty, who, being rich, became poor 
for your sake. Do not refuse to do for Him what 



356 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

He has already done for you. Detach your heart, 
at least, from this earth before it devours your rot- 
ten body in the grave. Enrich your soul with the 
poverty of Jesus. For He being rich became poor 
for your sake, that through His poverty you might 
be rich. Offer, then, to the eternal Father the pov- 
erty of Jesus with your earthly riches, and you 
will obtain the treasures of His heavenly gifts and 
graces during life, and secure to your soul a kingdom 
of everlasting glory and bliss for all eternity. 



Third Point. 

I. Consider the profound mystery expressed in 
the division of our Saviour's garments by the 
Roman soldiers at the foot of the cross. The 
dress of our Lord was the figure of His holy 
Church. For, as these garments covered His 
sacred body, so the Church is the visible dress of 
our divine Redeemer. He is hidden under it. 
His spirit animates this living dress. Again, no 
garment is intended to support itself. It must be 
supported by the body of the person who wears 
it. So the Church, says St. Augustine, must be up- 
held and supported by Jesus Christ : Sicut vestes> 
nisi a portante teneantur, cadunt ; sic Christus fulci- 
men est Ecclesice. (Tract. 118, in Joan.) 

Moreover, the Church of Jesus Christ is one, 
Catholic or universal, spread over the four parts of 
the earth, east and west, north and south. Now 
behold the beautiful figure of the mysterious division 
of our Saviour's garments. These were divided 
into four parts among the four soldiers. These four 
soldiers represent the four parts of the earth, and 
the four portions of our Lord's garments represent 
the universality or catholicity of His holy Church 
spread over the whole earth. 

II. Finally, our Lord's seamless tunic was a figure 
of the indissoluble unity of His Church. These sen- 



Practical Reflections. 



357 



timents are taken from St. Augustine. (Tract. 1 18, in 
Joan.) Reflect that the garments of our Saviour 
passed from the Jews into the hands of the Roman 
soldiers, and from Jerusalem they were brought to 
Rome. Until the death of our Redeemer, Jerusalem 
had been the centre of the true religion of God. As 
the Jews rejected Him, when they impiously said 

| to Pilate, Away with him, away with him, crucify, 
crucify him ; so, by rejecting the Messiah, they lost 

1 their religion. From that moment Jesus, our Lord, 
selected Rome as the centre and fountain-head of 
Christianity. Some years after the death and re- 
surrection of our divine Saviour, St. Peter, the prince 
of the apostles, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, went in 
person to take possession of His supreme episcopal 
see. He established in Rome a greater power than 

j that of the Roman emperors, who were then the 
masters of the world. In planting Christianity in 
Rome, St. Peter was assisted by St. Paul, St. Luke, 
St. John, and St. Mark. St. Peter and St. Paul on 
the same day sealed with their blood the faith of 
Jesus Christ, which they had preached by word, and 
exemplified in their lives. From Rome the light of 
faith has been spread and preserved over the whole 
earth. Christian Rome has ever carefully kept whole 
and entire the seamless tunic of our divine Master. 
No schism or heresy can divide those Catholics who 
are steadfast in their union in faith with the Pope 
of Rome. He is the Vicar of Jesus Christ. He is 
the visible representative of God upon earth. He 
is the organ of the Floly Ghost. He is the head of 
the Church. He is the supreme pastor of souls. 
He is the infallible teacher of mankind. By divine 
appointment, Rome is the seat of the spiritual gov- 
ernment of the Church. It will be so to the end of 
time. All the powers of darkness, issuing forth from 
the gates of hell, shall never succeed in removing it 
thence, or prevail against this one, holy, catholic 
apostolic and Roman Church. 

III. Reflect on the great happiness you enjoy in 



358 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



being a member of this Church of Jesus Christ. 
This is the ark of Noah through which we are 
saved from the universal deluge of error and vice 
which overwhelms mankind in this unhappy age of 
impiety and sin. In this holy ark all is union, con- 
cord, and harmony. We all belong to the same 
family. God is our Father, the Church is our 
Mother, all true believers are our brothers in faith 
and charity. This holy Church is the ark of the 
new covenant. It contains the law of grace and 
love, the manna of the Eucharist for the nourishment 
of our soul, and the rod of Aaron in the perpetual 
succession of the Christian priesthood, offering for 
us the daily sacrifice of the mass, and administering 
to us all the sacraments of grace for the sanctifi- 
cation and salvation of our soul. Our holy Mother, 
the Church of the living God, receives us in her 
loving arms in infancy at our baptism. She fortifies 
our faith in confirmation, guides our youth by her 
wise instructions, nourishes our soul in holy com- 
munion with the body and blood of the Divine 
Lamb. She timely warns us against evil by her 
preaching, she charitably invites the fallen to repent- 
ance. She heals the wounds of our sins, and 
cleanses all stains from our soul in the sacrament of 
penance. This kind Mother assists her children in 
their agony, anoints them for their last combat 
with Satan, and defends them from his assaults in 
their last passage to eternity. Lastly, she accom- 
panies our soul before the divine Judge, implores 
His mercy in our behalf through her prayers, and 
accelerates our speedy entrance into heaven through 
her charitable suffrages for our departed spirit. 
These are not empty words or specious cant, they 
are solemn truths; they are real substantial facts of 
daily and hourly occurrence among the happy 
members of the holy Catholic Church, spread in 
every part of the world. 

This holy Church is very kind and affectionate to 
her children, because she is the spouse of Jesus, the 



Practical Reflections. 



359 



treasurer of the Holy Ghost, the personification 
and visible representative of God's infinite goodness 
among men. 

IV. The holy Catholic Church is a glorious religion. 
She alone possesses the full knowledge of God, the 
true faith of the adorable Trinity, the only worship 
worthy of His divine Majesty, and acceptable to the 
Deity. Heaven and earth have been created for 
her. She has the angels in her service. She is the 
Mother of all saints. The apostles and all true 
apostolic men sounded her praises over the whole 
earth. Millions of brave martvrs fought in her 
defence, shed all their blood, and sacrificed their 
lives in her glorious and happy service. The high- 
est human intelligences have bowed in sincere 
homage to her dogmas, submitted to her faith, and 
proclaimed all her heavenly doctrines. This holy 
religion has peopled the deserts with holy ancho- 
rets, the cloisters Avith fervent religious, the sanctu- 
ary with a devout priesthood. She has sanctified 
monarchs on the throne, ministers in the cabinet, 
soldiers in the army. She has raised humble shep- 
herds from the flock, devout laborers from the field, 
pious artisans from the shop, to the highest dignities 
in the sanctuary, and to the honor of heroic virtue 
and holiness on her altars. In wisdom and learning, 
in science, eloquence and art, she is the only perfect 
mistress. In short, whatever is truly great and 
worthy of admiration on earth and in heaven, in 
time and eternity, belongs to this glorious Church of 
the living God. O holy, Catholic, apostolic Church, 
child of God, spouse of the Lamb, temple of the 
Holy Ghost, mother of all the saints! who will not 
admire, praise, respect and love thee? 

V. Dear reader, what are your sentiments in rela- 
tion to this holy Church? . . . Do you value as you 
ought, the greatest of all privileges, that of being a 
member of this divine religion of Jesus Christ? 
Are you firmly resolved to suffer for your faith the 
loss of all your earthly goods, of human honors, and 



360 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



of your life as your divine Master did on the cross? 
In these days of insubordination, rebellion and 
schism, are you determined to preserve at any cost 
the integrity of the seamless tunic in the unity of 
the Christian religion? Are you a sincere believer 
in every article of Catholic faith ? Do you believe 
in the infallibility of the pope in matters of faith 
and morality ? Are you ready to obey his com- 
mands ? 



Prayer. 

My crucified Saviour ! Thy nakedness upon the 
cross is a figure of the nudity, poverty, and misery 
to which sin has reduced my soul. I take as ad- 
dressed to myself, the merited reproach directed by 
Thee against one of Thy unfaithful stewards : " Thou 
knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and 
poor, and blind, and naked" (Apoc, iii, 17.) 

Ah! yes, alas! my crucified Lord, I am poor, 
because sin has deprived me of the riches of Thy 
holy grace, has stripped me of all supernatural 
virtues, and robbed me of all my merits. I am 
blind, O God of wisdom ! and consequently I am 
unable to see the depth of my present degradation, 
misery and wretchedness. I am naked, O Lord of 
sanctity and of glory ! because sin has taken away 
from me the seamless tunic of innocence, the habit 
of justice, and the cloak of holiness. 

But what can I do in my distress? Like the 
prodigal son, I return to Thee, Father of mercy, 
and God of all comfort ! Full of confidence and 
sorrow, I cast myself at the foot of the cross, which 
is the throne of Thy mercy. O crucified Saviour ! 
I confess that I have sinned against heaven and 
against Thee. Have pity on my misery. Forgive 
me all my sins. Heal the wounds of my soul with 
the blood that flows from Thy hands and feet, 
nailed to the cross. Cleanse me yet more from all 



Practical Reflections. 361 



my iniquities, and create a new heart within my 
bosom. During the rest of my life I will use this 
new heart in loving Thee, and in grieving for having 
offended Thee, my good, merciful, heavenly Father. 
Crucified Jesus ! pity my nakedness. Cover my 
soul with Thy seamless tunic of lively faith, restore 
to me the dress of Thy holy grace, enrich and adorn 
me with the cloak of Thy divine charity. 

Sandal also my feet, dear Jesus, that I may run 
with fervor and zeal in the way of Thy holy com- 
mandments, so that I may never be detained by 
obstacles, or deterred by the opposition of the 
enemies of Thy holy religion. 

Most holy Virgin Mary ! by the grief and anguish 
which your maternal heart experienced, in behold- 
ing your divine Son naked upon the cross, and His 
sacred garments parted among His cruel execu- 
tioners, obtain for me the grace that, being entirely 
stripped of the old man of sin, I may deserve to put 
on Jesus Christ your Son, the new man of innocence, 
grace and love. Once clad in His holy garments, 
which are much better than those given by Rebecca 
to Jacob, you will not refuse, dearest Mother, to 
receive and bless me as your adopted child. Amen. 



16 



36z 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXII. CONSIDERATION. 



THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF OUR CRUCIFIED 
SAVIOUR. 

" Behold, the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of 
David, hath conquered to open the book, and to loose the 
seven seals thereof (Apoc., v, 5.) 

I. About sixty-four years after our Saviour's death, 
resurrection, and ascension into heaven, His beloved 
disciple, St. John, was, by order of the cruel 
emperor, Domitian, banished to the small rocky 
Island of Patmos, in the Mediterranean sea. All 
this is related by the holy Evangelist in these words : 
u /, John, your brother, and sharer in tribulation, 
and in the kingdom and patience in Christ Jesus, 
was in the island, which is called Patmos, for the 
word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus. I 
was in spirit ravished, in ecstasy on the Lord's day, 
and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 
saying : What thou seest, write in a book." (Apoc, 
i, 9.) On this occasion, wonderful visions were 
shown to St. John, which, for the sake of brevity, we 
are obliged to pass over. " After these things," he 
says, " / saw : and behold, a door open in heaven : and 
the first voice, which I heard, was, as it were, a trumpet 
speaking zvith me, saying: Come up hither, and I will 
show the things that must co7ne to pass hereafter. . . . 
And behold there was a throne set in heaven, and one 
sitting upon the throne. . . And I saw in the hand of 
him that sat on the throne, a book written within and 
without, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong 
angel proclaiming with a loud voice : Who is worthy to 
open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no 
man was able, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor 
under the earth, to open the book, nor to look on it. I 
wept much, because no man was found zvorthy to open 



Christ's Seven Last Words. 



the book, nor to see it. But one of the ancients said to 
me : Weep not ; behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, 
the root of David, hath conquered to ope?i the book, and 
to loose the seven seals thereof. And I saw ; and behold 
in the midst of the throne, and of the four living crea- 
tures, and in the 7nidst of the ancients, a Lamb standing, 
as it were, slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, 
which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all 
the earth. And he came and took the book out of the 
right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when 
he had opened the book, the four living creatures and 
the four and tzventy ancients fell down before the Lamb, 
having every one of them harps, and golden vials full 
of perfumes, which are the prayers of the saints. And 
they sung a new canticle, saying : Thou art worthy, O 
Lord, to take the book, arid to open the seals thereof ; 
because Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, 
in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue and people 
and nation, and hast made us to God a kingdom." 
(Apoc., iv, i, 2; v, i-io.) 

II. This book sealed with seven seals is a figure 
of our divine Lord and Saviour. Books ought to 
be the faithful records of truth. If this be not 
always the fact with books written by prejudiced 
men, yet this is always the nature of books written 
at the command and under the inspiration of God. 
Books of divine inspiration are always, without ex- 
ception, the records and the witnesses of truth. 
Now Jesus Christ is truth. He alone could unseal 
to us the book of knowledge, and announce to us 
with His own infallible voice the sacred maxims 
contained in its golden pages. Every one of the 
seven seals indicates an important secret. These 
great secrets are revealed to us in the seven last 
words which our divine Master spoke from the 
chair of the cross. 

III. Our divine Saviour was crucified about noon, 
He remained on the cross during three hours of ex- 
treme sufferings, and expired at three o'clock, which 
was the time of the evening sacrifice offered in the 



364 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



temple of Jerusalem. During these three hours of 
agony on the cross, our blessed Lord spoke seven 
times. The seven sentences which He uttered on 
that memorable occasion, are called the Seven Last 
Words. The following is the order in which these 
sacred words were spoken by our agonizing Re- 
deemer : — 

1. " Father, forgive them, for they know not what 
they do." (Luke, xxiii, 34.) 

2. " This day thou shalt be zvith me in paradise." 
(Luke, xxiii, 43.) 

3. " Woman, behold thy son. Behold thy Mother." 
(John, xix, 26.) 

4. " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " 
(Matt., xxvii, 46.) 

5. u I thirst." (John, xix, 28.) 

6. " It is consummated." (John, xix, 30.) 

7. " Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." 
(Luke, xxii, 46.) 

With the assistance of our divine Master we will 
proceed to the explanation of these seven words, 
in the order in which they were spoken by Him 
upon the cross. We will find every word, or rather 
sentence, becoming more profound and instructive 
as we advance in our meditation. 

IV. The first three words of our crucified Re- 
deemer have relation to men upon earth. The four 
last words relate more immediately to Himself. 
The former represent our Saviour as the most per- 
fect model of good example. The latter represent 
Him as the most perfect victim of our atonement, 
and as the full price of our redemption : u Copiosa 
apud Deum redemptio." 

In order to understand these two propositions, it 
is necessary to reflect that the eternal Son of God 
became man, suffered, and died on the cross to re- 
pair the evils which the fall of our first parents 
entailed upon us. These evils w r ere principally 
two. In the first place, they left us charged with 
an infinite debt against the offended justice of God. 



Christ's Seven Last Words. 365 



This debt was so enormous that we could never pay 
it in time or eternity. No angel of heaven, no man 
upon earth, could atone for it. The destruction of 
all the angels, the sacrifice of all mankind, could not 
satisfy for it. The debt was infinite, hence an in- 
finite satisfaction was necessary. An infinite satis- 
faction could be given to divine justice in two ways 
only. First, by an eternal punishment, which, in 
some imperfect way, would become infinite in its 
everlasting duration. But this would necessitate 
the eternal damnation of our first parents with all 
their unhappy posterity. Thus, all mankind was 
doomed to perdition. 

The second way of giving a most perfect satis- 
faction to the offended Majesty of God was, the 
incarnation, the sufferings and death of a divine 
person. This is exactly what our most merciful 
Saviour has done. This profound mystery we will 
more fully contemplate in the four last words of 
our crucified Redeemer. 

But, in the disobedience of our first parents, there 
was another most baneful effect. It was the scandal 
of their bad example. They were the scandal of 
all their posterity. Their disobedience was a public 
crime, which affected and infected all mankind. 
It was committed by Adam and Eve, in secret as 
they thought, but it was impossible to conceal it 
from their unhappy posterity. On the contrary, 
our fallen parents were commanded by God to pub- 
lish it to all future generations for the justification 
of the rigors of divine justice. Their creation in 
original grace, their complete happiness in the 
terrestrial paradise, had to be made known to their 
posterity, as Christian parents are obliged to make 
known to their children the incarnation, birth, and 
life of our divine Redeemer. Adam and Eve had to 
explain to their children the cause of their expulsion 
from that happy abode of holiness, and the terrible 
effects which their crime had caused in their body 
and soul, in the natural and supernatural order. 



366 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



But the knowledge of parents' crimes is a scandal 
to their children. This is more particularly the 
case when parents, by their rank, power and per- 
sonal qualities, have greater influence on the youth- 
ful mind of their offspring. Considered in every 
respect, the evil of bad example was most pernicious 
in the unhappy fall of Adam and Eve. This ap- 
peared very soon in the conduct of their first-born 
son, Cain, who most maliciously murdered his own 
brother, Abel. Many of Adam's children and grand- 
children boasted of following his example, saying : 
"Adam is my example from my youth" — Adam 
exemplum meum ab juventute mea. (Zach., xiii, 5.) 

Now our Lord Jesus Christ, through His perfect 
obedience, and the admirable holiness of His life, 
undertook to repair also the scandal of our first 
parents. He became the model of most exalted 
perfection. Hence St. Peter says: " Christ also suf- 
fered for us, leaving you an example that you should 
follow his steps; who did not sin, neither was 
guile found ill his mouth; who, when he was re- 
viled, did not revile ; when lie . suffered, he threat- 
ened not, but delivered himself to him that judged 
him unjustly ; who in his own self bore our sins in 
his body upon the tree ; that we being dead to sins, 
should live to justice, by whose stripes you zvere 
healed" (1 Peter, ii, 21-24.) 

Our divine Master during His whole life was a 
most perfect model of all Christian virtues ; and, like 
a bright lamp, the splendor of His example shone 
most brilliantly at the close of His life, during His 
three hours' agony on the golden candlestick of 
His holy cross. 

In His first three words, we will see Him making 
every effort to repair the evil influence of the bad 
example of our first parents, and leaving us a most 
perfect pattern of all Christian virtues. 

Christian soul ! you will not refuse to meditate on 
these sacred words. They are the last words of you? 
crucified Saviour. The last words of every grea* 



Christ's Seven Last Words. 367 



personage are treasured by all his relations, friends 
and admirers. This particularly is the case with 
the dying expressions of persons eminent for sanc- 
tity. But who caii be greater than the King of kings, 
and the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth ? Who 
can be more holy than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 
the source of all grace, virtue and sanctity ? He is 
our Creator, our best Benefactor, our wisest Teacher, 
our most faithful Friend, our nearest relative, our 
Brother, our Father, our Redeemer, our All. 

Christian ! will you refuse to watch near our 
Saviour's cross for one hour, whilst He agonizes 
upon it for three long hours to atone for your sins, 
and thus secure your eternal salvation? 



368 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXIII. CONSIDERATION. 



FIRST WORD OF JESUS UPON THE CROSS : " FATHER, 
FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT 

what they DO." (Luke, xxiii, 34.) 

Jesus on the cross is an admirable model of 
all virtues. 



First Point. 

I. Our divine Lord and Master, during His 
whole life upon earth, was a perfect model of good 
example to all men. But upon the cross, like a 
bright light upon a golden candlestick, the splendor 
of His virtues illumines the whole world. " Christ" 
says St. Peter, " suffered for us, leaving you an ex- 
ample that you should follow his steps." (1 Peter, ii, 2 1 .) 
According to St. Paul, charity is the bond of per- 
fection. " Above all things have charity, which is the 
bond of perfection." (Col. iii, 14.) Charity consists 
in loving God above all things, and our neighbor as 
ourselves. This is our divine Master's doctrine, 
who said : " ■ Thou shall love the Lord thy God with 
thy whole heart, and zvith thy whole soul, and with 
thy whole mind' This is the greatest and the first 
commandment. And the second is like to this : i Thou 
shall love thy neighbor as thyself' On these two com- 
mandments dependeth the zvhole law and prophets" 
(Matt., xxii, 37.) Let us now consider how our 
divine Lord on the cross fulfilled these two great 
commandments of charity. We begin with his 
first word : " Father, forgive them, for they know 
not what they do." 

1st. Love of Jesus crucified towards His heavenly 
Father. 



Christ's First Word on the Cross. 



369 



Our divine Master had said that "out of the abun- 
dance of the heart the mouth speaketh." (Luke, vi, 45.) 
The heart of our crucified Saviour is so full of 
divine love for His heavenly Father, that the very 
first word which He pronounces on the cross is 
His adorable name. Behold, devout soul, how this 
loving Son of God raises His head crowned with 
thorns, and fixing His eyes on heaven, He, with 
the most tender expression of affection, says Father ! 
It is natural for a child in suffering to call upon his 
father. But this is not the case with Jesus crucified. 
This word from His agonizing lips does not pro- 
ceed from flesh and blood ; but it is an act of most 
heroic virtue, it is an expression of the most perfect 
charity, which the heart and tongue of Jesus alone 
could utter. 

II. Reflect, in fact, that this divine Son is agonizing 
on the cross in obedience to His Father's will. In 
the garden of Gethsemani Jesus had thrice implored 
His heavenly Father to remove this bitter chalice 
from His lips. He asked Him to be spared the 
disgrace, shame, and horrible sufferings of this 
crucifixion. But, as His thrice-repeated prayer was 
not heard, He humbly bowed down His head, and 
freely consented to endure it in compliance with 
His Father's will. 

There is a vast difference, however, between the 
resolution and the action in the life of man. Be- 
tween our consent to suffer and to die, and actual 
suffering and agony, a great difference exists. 
When we actually experience the pang of pain, 
we feel tempted to retract our resolution, and feel 
strongly inclined to repine against those superiors 
who have imposed so heavy a cross on our weak 
shoulders, and demand such painful sacrifices from 
our frail humanity. Ah ! alas ! we go even further. 
We murmur against God, and rebel against His 
holy will. But no thought or feeling of this kind 
is allowed to come near the heart of Jesus. On the 
cross He is as perfectly resigned to the holy will of 



37° 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



His Father, as He has ever been during His whole 
life. He desires to suffer and to die to glorify His 
heavenly Father. Jesus has no other will but that 
of His eternal Father. His heart burns with love 
for Him. His eyes are affectionately fixed on Him. 
His dying lips respectfully kiss His Father's hands, 
which have fastened and keep Him on the cross. 
This is the meaning of the first word of Jesus:' 
a Father ! " As He would say : On Mount Thabor 
or on Mount Calvary, in the cradle or on the cross, 
I am Thy loving and obedient Son, O heavenly 
Father ! 

III. Consider, moreover, that Jesus has been 
condemned by the Jews to the death of the cross, 
because, in obedience to His Father's will, He pro- 
claimed Himself to be the Son of God, as He really 
and truly is. " We have a law, they said to Pilate, 
and according to the law he ought to die ; because he 
made himself the Son of God." (John, xix, 7.) Had 
our Lord consented to renounce this title, He would 
have been freed from torments and from death. 
But this loving and dutiful Son is willing to bear 
any calumny to uphold the dignity of His heavenly 
Father. Jesus is ready to undergo any torment. 
Jesus is willing to shed all His blood, and to sacri- 
fice His life on the infamous gibbet of the cross, to 
promote the honor and glory of His eternal Father. 
Hence Jesus from the cross, shortly before His 
death, publicly proclaims that God is His Father: 
"Father, forgive them." 

Observe, that we promote God's glory in pro- 
portion to the sacrifices that we make for His love. 
But where can we find any person who has made, 
or could make, more complete sacrifices than our 
Saviour upon the cross? . . . Jesus on the cross 
has sacrificed His property. His very garments 
have been parted between His executioners. Jesus 
has sacrificed His personal honor. He dies as 
a supposed blasphemer ; He is crucified between 
two criminals, as if he were the worst of malefactors. 



Christ's First Word on the Cross. 



371 



Jesus will soon die. But He dies a Victim of obe- 
dience and love to His Father : " Father ! Father / " 

In this word our crucified Saviour proclaims His 
divine origin and nature, and the love and regard 
which He has for His heavenly Father. 

IV. Here our divine Master and model gives us a 
practical lesson of fidelity in the service of God. 
Jesus crucified teaches us how we ought to behave 
when we are publicly called upon to make profes- 
sion of our faith, or to practise the essential duties of 
our holy religion. By His example He shows that 
we should not shrink from the service of God on 
account of apparent or real obstacles. The taunts, 
reproaches, calumnies, insults and persecutions of 
men should never tempt us to abandon our faith, or 
the practices of our holy religion. Having at our 
baptism received the precious gift of faith, and 
having been adopted as children of God, let us, like 
our divine Master, glory in these titles to the end of 
our life. With His generous apostle, Philip, let us 
follow our divine Leader, and die with Him and for 
Him, if necessary, in order to promote the glory of 
God, the honor of our holy religion, and the salva- 
tion of souls. If we are calumniated, persecuted, 
put to death for Jesus' sake, during our sufferings, 
and at our death, let us, like Him, raise our eyes 
and heart to God, and for the edification of all let 
us say aloud with Him: " Father, forgive them, for 
they know not what they do." 



Second Point. 

Consider the great charity of our crucified Lord 
towards His enemies. This was the principal ob- 
ject of our Saviour's prayer when He said : "Father, 
forgive the in, for they know not what they do." The 
virtue of charity in forgiving an injury is enhanced 
by the malice of the offender. The greater the offence, 



37^ 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



so much the more perfect is the charity of forgive- 
ness. Now, the crime committed against our cru- j 
cified Lord by His enemies, was of a most heinous 
nature. Let us consider it attentively, that, having 
fathomed the horrible abyss of its malice, we may 
be able to conjecture the extent and depth of our 
Redeemer's charity. 

I. We should never lose sight of the principal 
cause for which our blessed Lord was condemned to 
death. This was because He made Himself the 
Son of God. When the high-priest Caiphas said to 
Him, u I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell 
us if thou be the Son of God, Jesus said to him : Thou 
hast said it. I am the Son of God. Then the high- 
priest rent his garments, saying : He has blasphemed ; 
what further need have we of zviinesses ? Behold, you 
have heard the blasphemy. What think you ? But they 
answering said : He is guilty of death." (Matt., xxvi, 

63-66.) 

By perverting this essential article of faith into a 
charge of blasphemy against our divine Saviour, 
the Jewish people most grievously offended the 
goodness of the eternal Father, and impiously 
impeached the veracity of God the Son. 

God the Father loves Jesus, His only begotten 
Son, with an eternal and infinite love. Within the 
short period of three years, the eternal Father 
has by public miracles solemnly testified, on three 
different occasions, His paternal affection for His 
divine Son. Multitudes of people distinctly heard 
a miraculous voice from heaven, saying : " This is 
my beloved Son in whom I am zvell pleased: hear 
ye him." This divine voice was heard at the banks 
of the river Jordan when our Lord was publicly 
baptized. (Matt., iii, 17.) It was repeated on 
Mount Thabor at His transfiguration. (Matt., xvii, 
5.) This voice was heard a third time by a multi- 
tude of astonished people when our Saviour, 
praying publicly to His heavenly Father, said: 
" Father, glorify thy name. A voice therefore came 



Christ's First Word on the Cross. 



373 



from heaven : I have both glorified it, and I will 
glorify it again" (John, xii, 28.) 

At the resurrection of Lazarus, near the city of 
Jerusalem, and a short time before His condemna- 
tion to death, our blessed Lord, in the presence of a 
large concourse of people, lifting up His eyes, 
prayed to His heavenly Father to work that miracle 
through His voice, to prove to the surrounding 
multitude that He was His true and real Son. 
"Father" Jesus said, u I give thee thanks that thou 
hast heard me. I know that thou hear est me always, 
but because of the people, who stand about, have I said 
it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me." 
(John xi, 41, 42.) Immediately after these words 
the great miracle of Lazarus' resurrection took 
place in the presence of a vast multitude of people. 

II. Now, after so many public manifestations of 
His paternal affection for His divine Son, the 
eternal Father sees the Jews not only obstinate in 
refusing to believe His miracles and to obey His 
commands, but so full of hatred against Jesus, that 
they have condemned Him to the death of the 
cross, because He taught them that He was His 
divine Son, their promised Messiah, and the Saviour 
of mankind : Quia Filium Dei se fecit. How 
grievously this conduct of the Jews must have 
offended the goodness of the eternal Father will 
appear, if we seriously consider the nature of this 
charge. In fact, if they crucified Jesus because, in 
obedience to His heavenly Father, He declared 
Himself to be the Son of God, they would, if it 
had been in their power, have crucified the Father 
of Jesus, who so often declared Him to be His 
Son ; who commanded Him to teach this dogma 
of faith, and obliged all men to believe His doc- 
trine : " This is my beloved Son in whom I am well 
pleased : hear ye him." 

One fact will prove the malice of the Jewish 
heart against any person who spoke in favor of our 
divine Saviour. A man, about thirty years of age, 



374 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



who had been born blind, had been miraculously 
cured by our blessed Lord. The Jewish magistrates 
attributed this great miracle of Jesus to His magical 
arts, and to the operation of the devil. This young 
man, full of gratitude to his divine benefactor, said 
to them, unless this man, Jesus, were from God, He 
could not work such a miraculous cure: " From 
the beginning of the world it hath not been heard 
that any man hath opened the eyes of one born 
blind. They answered to him and said : Thou wast 
wholly bom in sin, and dost thou teach us? And 
they cast him out of the temple." (John, ix, 34.) 
We may conclude from this fact what the Jews 
would have done against the eternal Father, if He 
had fallen into their hands. They would not only 
have expelled Him from His temple, but they 
would have crucified Him like His divine Son. 

III. Moreover, the eternal Father has sent His 
beloved Son, Jesus, to redeem mankind in proof of 
His infinite charity. "God so loved the world, as 
to give his only begotten Son ; that whosoever be- 
lieve th in him may not perish, but may have life 
everlasting." ( John, iii, 16. ) Now the Jewish 
priests, scribes, Pharisees, magistrates and people, 
by refusing to believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, 
reject this divine token of his Fathers infinite char- 
ity. By this impious and stubborn refusal, they 
render abortive and useless the efforts of His divine 
goodness. They go further in their malice. These 
wicked men turn the grandest work of divine mercy 
to their own destruction and deepest damnation. 
They do worse still. By crucifying the divine Son 
of God as an impostor and a sacrilegious blasphemer, 
the Jews do all in their power to prevent the whole 
world from ever believing in the divinity of our 
blessed Saviour, and from participating in the work 
of our redemption. This wicked conduct of the 
Jews was most grievously displeasing to the infinite 
goodness of God the Father. 

IV. But the malice of these men boldly advances 



Christ's First Word on the Cross. 375 



to the highest degree of iniquity. They reproach 
our divine Lord for His piety, devotion and confi- 
dence in His Eternal Father. They utter this hor- 
rible blasphemy, and say : " He trusteth in God, let 
him deliver him now, if he will have him, for 
he said : I am the Son of God." (Matt, xxvii, 42.) 
Who but incarnate demons could reproach a dying 
person, even a real criminal, for his devotion to, 
and his hope in, God's goodness and mercy ? Yet, 
these words express a deeper impiety. They are 
the most awful insult to God that has ever been 
uttered by the tongue of man. They are a daring 
challenge of impious defiance to the goodness and 
power of God. . . .."He trusted in God, let him 
deliver him now, if he will have him" Good God ! 
it is only on the infallible authority of the Gospel 
that we can be induced to believe man capable of 
such horrible impiety and malice. 

V. God, however, cannot be mocked and insulted 
with impunity. Alas ! the most terrible punish- 
ments are impending over the guilty heads of those 
bold and wicked blasphemers. " Woe to the sinful 
nation, a people laden with iniquity, a wicked seed, 
ungrateful children; they have forsaken the Lord, 
they have blasphemed tlie holy one of Israel." 
(Isa., i, 4.) Behold the sun is darkened, the earth is 
trembling, the rocks are rent asunder, the graves 
are opened, the dead rise up in horror to cry for 
vengeance against the cruel murderers of Jesus, 
and for the utter destruction of these impious blas- 
phemers. The end of the world is at hand. Jesus 
alone could avert this impending universal cata- 
strophe. But will He intercede with His divine 
Father in behalf of these sacrilegious men, and in 
favor of his own barbarous executioners? Can we 
hope for such an excess of charity against such an 
excess of wickedness? Oh! we can hope every- 
thing from the goodness of Jesus' heart, and from 
the infinite mercy of His heavenly Father. 

Look, Christian soul, look up to your crucified 



376 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Saviour. He lifts up his eyes towards heaven, and 
in a loud voice, with an accent of tender charity, 
He says: "Father, forgive them, for they knozv not 
what they do." Oh, the immense goodness of the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus ! Oh, the wonderful refine- 
ment of His divine love and mercy ! See how our 
crucified Lord promptly makes use of the very 
charge for which His enemies have condemned 
Him to the death of the cross, to move more effec- 
tively the heart of His Eternal Father to sanction 
the grace of pardon which He has already granted 
to all His mortal enemies. These hate Him and per- 
secute Him to death, because He proclaims Himself 
to be the Son of God. With a truly divine charity 
our dear Lord makes use of His name, dignity and 
right of Son of God, to plead rnore successfully 
before His eternal Father in behalf of His per- 
secutors : " Father, forgive them." God, my Father ! 
Thy divine glory and man's salvation have brought 
me to this cross. As God I could not suffer : a 
mere man could not satisfy the rigors of Thy justice. 
Continuing to be Thy Son, I assumed the human 
nature that, through my humiliations, sufferings, and 
death, I may atone for the sins of mankind, and fully 
satisfy the claims of Thy offended justice. As I be- 
came man for man's salvation, I do not wish the loss, 
but I ardently desire the conversion of all sinners, 
but especially that of my persecutors. I forgive them, 
and implore Thy mercy to grant them a full pardon 
for all their sins : " Father, forgive them." The great- 
ness of Thy mercy will forever exalt the magnitude 
of Thy goodness. If the malice and cruelty of 
my enemies do not deserve the indulgence of Thy 
clemency, I implore it from this cross as Thy Son. 
Grant it, Father, grant it for my sake. " Father, for- 
give them." I pray that Thy mercy may be superior 
to their malice. The greater their malice, the more 
glorious will be the triumph of Thy grace. I 
desire to turn the charge of my condemnation, and 
the instruments of my passion, into the best argu- 



Christ's First Word on the Cross. 377 



merit of my appeal to Thy mercy. "Father, forgive 
them, for they know not what they do. 

VI. A prayer like this from our crucified Saviour 
to His eternal Father could not remain without 
success. If the prayer of Moses moved the heart 
of God to forgive the sins of the Jewish people in 
the desert, this touching appeal of our agonizing 
Lord on the cross will certainly move His loving 
Father to grant pardon to all His enemies. It was 
in consequence of this prayer that the hearts of His 
executioners, and of all the multitude that scoffed 
at Him, were moved to sorrow, and returned from 
Calvary striking their breasts. (Luke, xxiii, 48.) 
Some of them were converted to truth, and confessed 
publicly their belief in the divinity of our crucified 
Redeemer, saying : " Indeed this man was the Son of 
God." (Mark, xv, 39.) Finally, this heroic prayer of 
our blessed Lord has been the cause of all the 
mercies that God has ever granted to all repenting 
sinners. 

Christian sinner ! trusting in the efficacy of this 
prayer, never doubt the mercy of God. How 
numerous and how great soever your sins may be, 
both the mercy of God and the merits of our 
Saviour's passion are infinitely greater. The mercy 
of God is an essential attribute of the divinity iden- 
tified with His divine nature, and consequently it is 
as infinite as God. Moreover, our Lord Jesus Christ 
is constantly pleading for us before the throne of 
God's mercy, not only with the voice of His mouth, 
but more eloquently with the mouths of His glori- 
fied wounds. " If any man sin" 'St. John says, " we 
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the 
Just, and he is the propitiation for our sins ; and 
not for ours only, but also for those of the whole 
world" (1 John, ii, 1.) 



378 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Third Point. 

Let us consider the extent of our Saviour's 
charity in the circumstances which accompanied 
His prayer for His enemies. In the previous 
consideration, we examined the affronts offered by 
the enemies of Jesus to His eternal Father. We 
will now consider the injuries which they more im- 
mediately inflicted upon Him. This will enable us 
more fully to appreciate the extent of His charity 
towards His persecutors. 

Our divine Lord during His passion, and es- 
pecially in His crucifixion, was injured by His 
enemies to the utmost extent of their malice. He 
was deprived of all His property, of His reputation 
and of His life. 

I. He was deprived of all His property. His 
enemies took from Him everything He possessed 
in this world. They stripped Him naked. They 
parted His garments whilst He was still living. 
They refused to give Him a drop of water to assuage 
His thirst. They banished from Him His relations 
and friends, His disciples and apostles. 

II. We like our property, whether it be little or 
much. The little we possess is as much to us as 
great riches are to wealthy men. We are justly 
offended, when, by violence and oppression, we are 
deprived of all we possess. But any sensible man 
values more his good name and reputation, than all 
the wealth of the world. " A good name is better 
than great riches, and, good favor is better than 
silver and gold'' (Prov., xxii, i.) " A good life 
hath its number of days, but a good name shall con- 
tinue forever. Take care of a good name ; for this 
shall continue with thee, more than a thousand trea- 
sures precious and great!' (Ecclus., xli, 15, 16.) 

Our divine Saviour was so strict about the good 
name of the humblest and poorest person, that He 



Christ's First Word o?i the Cross. 379 



threatened with the punishment of hell's fire every 
one who, in a scornful manner, called another a 
stupid fool. (Matt., v, 22.) His divine soul attached 
the highest value to a good reputation. He was 
poor in earthly goods, but He was very rich in merits, 
and most eminent in sanctity. All this was neces- 
sary for the success of His divine mission of charity. 
He became man to save sinners. He came upon 
earth to establish the Christian religion, and thus 
promote the glory of His heavenly Father, and the 
conversion, sanctification, and the eternal salvation 
of mankind. A good name was essential to the 
final success of these magnificent undertakings, so 
dear to His Sacred Heart. 

But, alas ! His malicious enemies have done all 
in their power to deprive our blessed Lord of His 
well-earned reputation. They invented the black- 
est calumnies with the perverse intention of degrad- 
ing Him in the eyes of the people, and of rendering 
His name odious and detestable to all future genera- 
tions. The scribes and Pharisees misrepresented His 
heavenly doctrines. His miracles were attributed 
to diabolical power. His tender compassion for the 
poor and the sick, His zeal for the conversion of 
sinners, and for the sanctification of souls, were 
maliciously imputed to his ambition. Jesus, the 
most holy Son of God, has been called a drunkard, a 
blasphemer, a false prophet, an impostor, a traitor 
against Caesar, a religious fanatic, a man possessed 
by the devil. Barabbas has been preferred to Him. 
This cruel murderer has been acquitted, and Jesus of 
Nazareth has been condemned to the infamous death 
of the cross, as the most wicked of malefactors, 
His persecutors have scourged Him like a vile 
slave, and crucified Him between two highway 
robbers. They have crucified Him on Mount 
Calvary in the bright noonday light, in sight of the 
city of Jerusalem, in the presence of a vast concourse 
of people, gathered for the paschal solemnity from 
every corner of the earth. Oh! what profound 



38o 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



degradation, what public disgrace, what deep, 
deep infamy is this for Jesus, the eternal Son of the 
living God ! 

Truly, "He is now the most despised, the most abject 
of men, the reproach of men, and tlie outcast of the 
people." (Ps. xxi, 7.) Behold, Christian soul! into 
what abyss of degradation the malice of His enemies 
has plunged the divine Son of the most High. 

III. But their hatred is not yet satisfied. After 
having completely destroyed His reputation, and 
made Him appear the most wicked man on the face 
of the earth, the implacable enemies of our divine 
Lord inflict the most cruel tortures on His sacred 
and most delicate body. Loaded with chains, like 
a most dangerous criminal, Jesus is dragged to 
different tribunals of justice, through some of the 
principal streets of Jerusalem. He is kicked as 
a vile animal; His beautiful face is blackened 
and bruised with blows, and defiled with their 
spittle. Thousands of cruel lashes have deeply 
wounded His body, and torn His flesh to pieces by 
the scourging at the pillar. The adorable head 
of Jesus is crowned with thorns, His mouth is 
embittered with vinegar and gall, His hands and 
feet are nailed to the cross. His whole body, 
wounded and bleeding in every part, hangs sus- 
pended from iron hooks. Lift up your eyes, dear 
Christian, look at our divine Saviour on the cross, 
and see whether you can. discover one single part 
of His sacred body, which is not tortured with ex- 
cessive pain. " Oh ! all ye that pass by the way, 
attend and see if there be any sorrow like unto my 
sorrow" (Lam., i, 42.) 

IV. Nevertheless, the malice of our Saviour's 
enemies increases with their cruelty. They go 
beyond the barbarity of savages. Humanity re- 
spects a criminal when atoning for his sins on the 
gibbet. In the eyes of men there is something 
sacred in suffering. According to pagan Roman 
laws, a suffering malefactor should be considered 
as something venerable and holy : Res sacra reus. 



Christ's First Word on the Cross. 381 



He had a right to the compassion of his judges, who 
had pronounced the sentence of death against him, 
and of the executioners, who carried it into effect. 
The sufferings and death of a criminal are acts of 
public justice which should be respected. It is con- 
trary to charity, it is repugnant to human nature, 
to take pleasure in the sufferings, and to revile and 
insult the person of the sufferer. 

But, in relation to the crucified Son of God, no 
law was respected ; common decency and decorum 
were disregarded ; the most ordinary sentiments of 
humanity were trampled under foot by His bar- 
barous persecutors. The Jews insulted Jesus on the 
cross. Whilst His hands and feet were pierced 
with nails, their malignant tongues pierced His 
heart with the arrows of their insulting blasphemies. 
Fixuris clavorum, says St. Leo the Great, fixuris 
clavorum addiderunt tela linguarum. This horrible 
outrage was not confined to a few bad men, but all 
the vast multitude of cruel spectators unanimously 
joined with their rulers in vilifying our crucified 
Lord. St. Luke says : " The people stood behold- 
ing, and the rulers with them derided him, saying : 
He saved others ; let him save himself, if he be 
Christ the chosen of God" (Luke, xxiii, 35.) The 
high-priests, the magistrates, the senators of the 
nation, instead of reproaching the people for this 
public scandal, united with them in heaping insults 
and outrages upon Jesus crucified. St. Matthew 
says : " In like manner also the chief priests, with 
the scribes and ancients, wagging their heads, and 
mocking him, said : He saved others, himself he 
cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him 
now come down from the cross, and we will believe in 
him" (Matt., xxvii, 41, 42.) Persons of every class 
and condition passing by the cross wagged their 
heads in sign of contempt, and uttered blasphemies 
against our agonizing Saviour, saying : " Vah ! 
Thou who destroy est the temple of God, and in 
three days buildest it up again, save thyself ; if 



3 82 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



thou be the Son of God, come down from the 
cross"' (Matt., ibid., 39.) The Roman soldiers, in- 
fected and excited by the general frenzy of the 
Jewish people, in violation of the common law, and 
of military discipline, mocked our crucified Lord, 
and coming near Him, offered Him vinegar to 
drink, saying: " If thou be the King of the Jews, 
save thyself" (Luke, xxiii, 37.) In short, in rela- 
tion to our blessed Saviour, every sentiment of hu- 
manity and compassion seemed to be extinguished 
in the breasts of that cruel multitude of barbarous 
men. Jews and Romans, priests and people, spec- 
tators and executioners, appeared to be seized by 
an incomprehensible fury of impiety and cruelty. 
There is no example, in the history of human de- 
pravity, wherein such a large multitude of people, 
of every class and condition, were guilty of similar 
excess of barbarity. According to St. Jerome, the 
crowd near the cross on Mount Calvary must have 
been invaded and excited against our blessed Lord 
by the spirit of the devil. Theophilactus is of the 
same opinion. " Diabolus" he says, " incitabat illos 
ut sic dicer ent ; quia cog?toscebat auctor mali quod 
salus per crucem fieret" (Theophil. in Matt, xxvii.) 
The devil was exciting those people to speak in 
that manner against Jesus crucified, because the 
author of all evil began to perceive that human 
redemption was being effected by our Lord upon 
the cross. 

V. But what did our crucified Saviour do with 
that impious crowd possessed by the spirit of the 
devil? Did He not command the earth to open be- 
neath their feet, that they in body and soul be 
swallowed up in the infernal abyss? Surely, their 
atrocious conduct and monstrous wickedness fully 
deserved this punishment. But the Lord Jesus on 
the cross is animated by a different spirit. He 
does not wish the death and damnation of the 
wicked, but their conversion and eternal salvation. 
If all that impious crowd is animated by an in- 



Christ's First Word on the Cross. 



333 



fernal fury against Him, the heart of Jesus is 
moved to mercy and compassion for them all. 
"Furit in unum populus, miseretur omnium Christies." 
(St. Leo, Pope.) He pities their blindness, He com- 
passionates their ignorance. Whilst they mock, 
insult and blaspheme Him, Jesus prays in His heart 
for their conversion. He makes no account of what 
He suffers, but He reflects that He is suffering and 
dying for their salvation. He fully and heartily 
forgives all His enemies. He loves them as His 
creatures, He loves them as the objects of His 
redeeming mercy. His great charity, however, is 
not satisfied with the internal and secret disposi- 
tions of His loving heart. The flames of His love 
burst out of His mouth ; Jesus, on the altar of the 
cross, as the Victim of sin, and the supreme Pontiff 
of humanity, with His arms extended in act of 
supplication, lifts up His head crowned with thorns, 
and with a loud voice addresses this prayer of mercy 
to His eternal Father, "Father, forgive them, for they 
know not zvhat they do ! " With this most merciful 
prayer, Jesus averts from His enemies the punish- 
ment of eternal damnation. St. Augustine says: 
"Mortem sempiternam ab eis avertebat prece mise- 
ricordiosissima" (St. August, in 1 Epist. Joan.) 
This most merciful prayer deserves all our atten- 
tion. We will make upon it a special consideration. 
May the light of our Saviour's grace illumine our 
understanding, and the fire of His love inflame 
our hearts with charity ! 



384 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXIV. CONSIDERATION. 



JESUS ON THE CROSS PRAYS FOR HIS ENEMIES: 
" FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT 
WHAT THEY DO." 

First Point. 

I. Consider that we are always in need of prayer, 
because we have always need of God's help. Hence, 
our diviae Master commands us " to pray always 
without ceasing'' (Luke, xviii, I.) But the poor sin- 
ner should not only cry for mercy before God by 
himself, he should, moreover, seek for a powerful 
advocate to plead in his behalf; for God is not 
obliged to grant the prayer of sinners. Holy David 
says: "If I have looked at iniquity in my heart, the 
Lord will not hear me " (Ps. lxv, 18.) The Jews 
professed to believe this doctrine. u We know, they 
said, that God doth not hear sinners." (John, ix, 31.) 
This being the case, what will these wretched men 
do after having been guilty of so many blasphemies, 
cruelties, injustices and sacrileges against God and 
His divine Son, Jesus? The devil has blinded their 
minds. Their malice hides their crimes from their 
souls. Their pride hinders them from prayer. Their 
blasphemies against God render them abominable 
in His sight. Their mortal hatred against Jesus ex- 
cludes them from His mediatorial advocacy with His 
offended Father. No sinners on earth have ever 
been in a more deplorable and dangerous state of 
eternal reprobation. 

This is terrible enough. But in the hearts of our 
Saviour's enemies there is another most serious 
obstacle to His mercy. This is their inveterate 
habit of revenge. 

II. Among the crowd of our Lord's enemies at the 



Jesus Prays for His Enemies, 



335 



foot of the cross, there are Jews and pagans. 
Neither of them believe in the law of charity which 
commands men to forgive their enemies. Their 
maxim, as well as practice, is to return injury for 
injury, blow for blow, blood for blood, tooth for 
tooth, eye for eye, as they commonly say. (Matt., v, 
38.) This habit is so deeply rooted and common 
among the Jewish people, that even the holy priest 
and prophet Zachary, the son of Joiada, when 
storied by the Jews for his zeal, at the point of death 
uttered these words: " The Lord see, and require it." 
(2 ParaL, xxiv, 22.) May the Lord look at your 
crime, and punish you for it. 

Now, if this people of God, professing His true 
religion, possessing the Holy Scriptures, taught by 
a divine law, directed by the supernatural wisdom 
of the prophets, enlightened by the bright examples 
of so many holy patriarchs, considered revenge an 
individual right and privilege, what must we expect 
from pagan nations? The pagan Romans not only 
considered revenge a lawful action, but a sacred 
duty. They had temples built and altars erected to 
Mars, whom they worshipped as the god of war and 
revenge. Human blood shed in revenge of any real 
or imaginary injury, was considered by them the 
most agreeable libation which they could offer to his 
cruel taste. The sacrifice of an enemy's life was 
believed to be the most pleasing homage to their 
god, and the only satisfactory atonement to their 
revengeful hatred. The doctrine of free, full and 
unconditional pardon was ignored upon earth. It 
was a sealed book. No person could be found by 
St. John capable or willing to open it. The honor 1 
and the merit of this great work was reserved to the 
divine Son of God upon the cross. This Lamb of 
God, slain for the sins of men, forgave His enemies, 
became their advocate with God, and pleaded most 
effectively in their behalf : u Father, forgive them, for 
they know 7tot what they do." 

III. Let us consider this prayer in detail Our 

l 7 



386 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



crucified Saviour, without being asked, freely for- 
gives His enemies from the inmost bottom of His 
heart. But His ardent charity is not satisfied to 
remain concealed in His loving bosom. He desires 
that heaven and earth should witness this heroic act 
of mercy. With a loud voice, which can be heard 
by all that vast multitude of bitter enemies, Jesus 
prays from the cross to His eternal Father to for- 
give them, as He Himself has already done : " Father, 
forgive them" Jesus wishes that this prayer of 
pardon, intended for all sinners, should be heard by 
all men. He not only desires to forgive all His 
enemies, but He is determined to give to mankind 
such an example of charity as to extinguish in the 
hearts of all men the infernal fire of hatred and re- 
venge. St. Augustine says : " Jesus, in this prayer, 
raised His voice that all might hear Him. He 
could have prayed for His enemies in the secret of 
His heart. He did so. But, had He been satisfied 
w T ith this secret act of charity, we would have been 
deprived of the advantage and of the efficacy of 
His admirable example. " (St. August, tract 31, in 
Joan.) 

Jesus is so anxious to obtain from His heavenly 
Father a full pardon for His executioners, that He 
repeats this prayer several times. This is not a pious 
imagination, it is a real fact not sufficiently observed. 
We learn this consoling truth from the holy evan- 
gelist, St. Luke. In the Latin Vulgate, which is the 
authentic language of the Bible for Catholics, St. 
Luke, who alone registered this prayer of mercy, 
says : Jesus autem dicebat, which should be rendered 
or translated into English, — "But Jesus was saying : 
Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!' 
This expression, Jesus was saying, is intended to 
signify that our crucified Saviour repeated this 
prayer often in the interval of time which elapsed be- 
tween this first word or sentence, and the second in 
which He promised paradise to the repenting thief. 
The great modern sacred orator, Ventura, confirms 



Jesus Prays for His Enemies. 



337 



this truth in his twenty-ninth homily on the 
passion. He is the most enlightened and eloquent 
preacher of Jesus crucified, of the present age. May 
his memory be in eternal benediction ! 

IV. But let us return to our Saviour upon the cross. 
Observe, Christian reader, the wonderful refinement 
of our Lord's charity in this prayer of mercy. 
Though His fervor makes Him repeat it several, 
perhaps many times, yet He is always careful never 
to mention any of the crimes of which His enemies 
are guilty. He merely says and repeats, "Father, 
forgive them." Forgive them ? But what crime have 
they committed ? At great length we have seen 
that the enemies of our Lord have committed 
many and most enormous crimes. But the immense 
charity of the heart of Jesus conceals them all. No 
man that may in future generations read or hear 
this prayer, shall be able to learn from it the 
specific crime, or crimes, of which His mortal 
enemies were actually guilty. Oh ! how true it is 
that " charity covereth a multitude of sins." (1 Pet., 
iv, 8.) " Father ; forgive them I From this general 
expression it clearly appears that our divine Saviour 
upon the cross does not wish to reflect on the mani- 
fold injustices, cruelties, blasphemies, and insults of 
His enemies. He knows they are guilty ; but in 
His infinite charity He refuses to reflect on their 
particular crimes. Were it possible for our Lord, 
He would have concealed them from the knowledge 
of His heavenly Father. As far as possible, He 
attempts to do so in these words : " Father, forgive 
them ! " Yes ! charity covereth a multitude of sins. 

Though different kinds and classes of persons are 
very guilty, yet, as our Lord hides their crimes, so 
He conceals what kind of persons are implicated in 
them. Judas had betrayed his divine Master ; Annas, 
Caiphas, Herod and Pilate had unjustly condemned 
Him. False witnesses had perjured themselves 
against Him. Magistrates and people, Jewish priests 
and Roman soldiers are His enemies. The priests 



338 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



through envy have calumniated Him before the 
tribunals, and are actually mocking Him whilst on 
the cross. 

The Roman soldiers have scourged Him at the 
pillar, have crowned His head with thorns, have 
nailed His body to the cross. They are insulting 
Him in His last agony. The whole crowd of heart- 
less men, wagging their heads, are heaping outrages 
and blasphemies on our crucified Saviour. Fixuris 
clavorum addiderunt tela linguarum. But the im- 
mense charity of our Lord covers both the guilt and 
the guilty. In His touching appeal to His Father's 
mercy, Jesus seeks to conceal the atrocity of the 
crimes, and the number and malice of the offenders. 
His zeal for their conversion and salvation makes 
Him forget His sufferings. Jesus will not stop to 
consider what He was suffering from their malice 
and cruelty ; He only reflects that He is suffering 
and dying for their eternal salvation. If all that 
vast multitude of people on Calvary is burning with 
a mortal hatred against our crucified Lord, His lov- 
ing heart has compassion for all, and forgives all : 
" Father, forgive them." — Furit in unum populus, mis- 
er etur omnium Christus. (St. Leo, Pope.) 

V. The merciful charity of our crucified Saviour 
is not limited to His enemies on Calvary, it is ex- 
tended to all those who remain in Jerusalem. More- 
over, our Lord not only prays His eternal Father to 
forgive them the crimes which they have committed 
against His person since His passion began, but 
also all those committed against Him during His 
whole life. " Father , forgive them" Oh! there is 
more charity in this prayer. Our merciful Saviour 
entreats His heavenly Father to pardon His ene- 
mies all sins which they have ever committed 
against His divine Majesty at any time of their life. 
As His prayer is not confined to any individual sin- 
ner, so it is not limited to any particular sin. Our 
merciful Lord does not say in His prayer: Father, 
forgive Judas for His treason, Annas and Herod 



Jesus Prays for His Enemies. 



389 



for their insults, Caiphas and Pilate for condemning 
me to death, the executioners for scourging me at 
the pillar, for crowning my head with thorns, for 
nailing my body to this cross ; but He prays for a 
general pardon, for a plenary indulgence. Father, 
forgive them whatever sin they have committed 
against Thee and against me. 

The fact is that the nature and object of this 
prayer demand an universal forgiveness for all sins. 
One mortal sin cannot be forgiven without the gift 
of sanctifying grace, which must of necessity ex- 
clude every grievous sin from the soul. Moreover, 
our Lord prays for the full conversion and salvation 
of those wretched sinners ; which cannot be effected 
without a full and general pardon for all their sins. 
Mortem sempiternam ab eis avertebat, prcece mis- 
ericordiosissima, St. Augustine says. 

VI. Finally, because the passion and death of our 
Saviour is intended for the salvation of all men, so 
this prayer is offered for the conversion of all sin- 
ners, and for the pardon of all sins, past, present, and 
future : " Father, forgive them" 

Our Lord does not say, Father, forgive the Jews, 
or the few pagan soldiers, who have crucified, 
mocked and blasphemed me and Thee, but He says, 
u Father, forgive them." Forgive all those, O Father ! 
who have any share in my passion, in my death. 
But because all sinners have a large share in my 
sufferings, therefore, O merciful Father! I pray 
Thee, extend to all the merits of my redemption. 
With my arms extended in supplication, upon this 
cross, as the supreme pontiff of humanity, I entreat 
Thee, heavenly Father, forgive all sinners. All the 
wounds of my body plead in their favor. My blood 
is shed for their salvation. With my blood I 
mingle my tears. From this cross I raise my voice 
so loud, that it must penetrate the clouds, reach the 
throne of Thy mercy, and move Thy paternal heart. 
Thy justice, O Father ! must be satisfied with the 
sacrifice of my life. Let Thy mercy be moved at 



39° The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



the sight of my wounds, of my blood, and of my 
tears. Father ! hear the voice of Thy Child, grant 
the prayer of Thy dying Son. " Father, forgive them." 
Forgive all sinners, save all men, for F die for 
all. . . . Dimite Hits, id est, dimitte Grcecis, Judceis, 
peregrinis, barbaris, dimitte omnibus omnino. (St. 
John Chrysost. HomiL in Matt. 27.) Courage, then, 
Christian sinner, whosoever you may be. Have 
confidence in the infinite mercy of God. The 
prayer of your crucified Saviour will surely be 
heard in your behalf by His eternal Father. He 
who commands all men to hear the voice of His 
beloved Son, will grant the prayer of your crucified 
Redeemer. The great angelic doctor, St. Thomas, 
assures us that every prayer of Jesus Christ is 
always heard by His heavenly Father. Omnis 
oratio Christi fuit exaudita. (St. Thom. iii, p. quest. 
47.) Our divine Master said that " his Father always 
hears his prayers." (John, ii, 42.) St. Paul says 
that u Jesus in the days of his flesh, offering up prayer 
and supplications, with a strong cry and tears to his 
heavenly Father. . . was heard for his reverence." 
(Heb., v, 7.) 

Then full of hope in the mercy of God, cast your- 
self at the foot of the cross, repent of your sins, and 
thank our Saviour for His prayer. 



Second Point. 

" Father , forgive them, for thy know not what they do." 

I. Consider, Christian soul, the immense charity 
of our crucified Redeemer, who not only forgives 
His enemies, and prays for them, but He goes so 
far as to excuse them on account of their ignorance. 
All Christian divines excuse from sin any person 
acting in good faith, through invincible ignorance. 
When, truly ignorant of the malice of an action, we 
consider it good, we certainly do not commit sin in 
performing it. The conditions of sin are three. 1st, 



Jesus Prays for His Enemies. 



39 1 



The action must be evil. 2d, We should have 
knowledge of the evil. 3d, Besides this knowledge, 
we must consent to do what we know to be wrong. 
But when the ignorance of the evil we do is the 
effect of our own malice, then we are not excused 
from sin. This ignorance is the effect of our 
malice, when we could easily receive instruction 
and information, but through gross, supine, and cul- 
pable negligence, we omit to seek for it* Lastly, 
there is a certain ignorance, which is called affected ; 
and this is, when a malicious person, to be more 
free to commit sin, purposely avoids every oppor- 
tunity of acquiring information or instruction. 
Now, all theologians agree in teaching that supine 
and affected ignorance not only does not excuse 
from sin, but, in a certain way, it aggravates its 
malice. 

II. Let us now apply these evident maxims of 
morality to the conduct of the Jews. All the 
Jews acquainted with the conduct of our divine 
Lord, should have been edified by His most holy 
and virtuous life. He could publicly challenge them 
to point out the smallest fault in His conduct. 
"Which of you" Jesus said to the Jews, "which of 
you shall convince me of sin ? " (John, viii, 46.) 

Jesus of Nazareth was most faithful in the observ- 
ance of every law. He would not allow a single 
jot of the law to be violated. He was so strict in 
His doctrines of morality, that He threatened 
punishment for an idle word. Jesus was so devout, 
that He assisted at all the feasts and religious 
ceremonies of the Jews. He was so charitable, that 
He would not permit the least harsh word to be 
uttered against our neighbor. He was so honest 
and just, that in His extreme poverty He wrought 
a miracle to obtain the necessary money to pay the 
personal tribute for Himself and for His apostle, 
Peter. 

The extraordinary and numberless miracles He 
daily performed, proclaimed His wonderful sanctity. 



39 2 ' 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



These prodigies were well known to the chief 
priests and Pharisees who, being gathered in public 
council, said : " What do we, for this man doetli many 
miracles ? If we let him alone so, all men will believe 
in him" (John, xi, 47.) 

III. They have condemned Jesus to death as a 
blasphemer, because He made Himself the Son of 
God, and their promised messiah. But our Lord 
proved His divine mission from the Bible, which 
they had in their hands. He confirmed it by His 
numerous and wonderful miracles. Hence, He could 
say to them: "Do you say of him whom the Father 
hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou bias- 
phemest : because I said, I am the Son of God? If I 
do not the works of my Father, believe not. But if I 
do . . . believe the works, that you may know and 
believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." 
(John, x, 36.) 

The man born blind who was cured by our Sav- 
iour, justly said to the Pharisees and Jewish priests, 
"From the beginning of the world it hath not been 
heard that any man hath opened the eyes of one 
born blind. Unless this man were of God, lie could 
not do such things." (John, ix, 32.) But these bad 
men were as maliciously blind to truth, as they 
affected to be deaf to the voice of God, which they 
had heard from heaven repeatedly, saying : "This 
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased : hear 
ye him." (Matt., xvii, 5.) 

Finally, at His five different trials before Caiphas, 
Pilate and Herod, no crime of any kind could be 
proved against Jesus, our Lord. On the contrary, 
the Roman governor, Pilate, after a careful exam- 
ination, found Him perfectly innocent, and publicly 
declared Him such several times. St. Luke says : 
"Then Pilate, calling together the chief priests and 
the magistrates, and the people, said to them : You 
have brought this man to me, as one that perverteth 
the people : and, behold, I, having exami?ied him 
before you, find no cause in this man touching those 



Jesus r'rays for His Enemies. 



393 



things wherein you accuse him. No ! nor even Herod. 
For I sent you to him ; and behold, nothing worthy 
of death is done to him!' (Luke, xxiii, 14.) Hence, 
the angelic St. Thomas says: "The ignorance of 
these men could not excuse them for their crime, 
because it was affected ignorance. For they saw 
the evident signs of the divinity of Jesus, but per- 
verted them through their hatred and envy." (St. 
Thorn, iii, qu. 47, art. 5.) 

With these evident facts before our eyes, we 
must be surprised how even the charity of our cru- 
cified Lord could excuse the malice of His mortal 
enemies, and say to His eternal Father: "Father, 
forgive them, for they know not what they do." But 
as He made this excuse, let us examine what could 
be the grounds of it. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the 
word of eternal Truth. We must believe what He 
says at any time, but, especially, when at the point of 
death, He addresses a solemn prayer to His Father 
in behalf of poor sinners : '"Father, forgive them, for 
they know not ivhat they do." 

St. Bernard, however, excuses the enemies of our 
crucified Saviour in the following words : " They 
knew not what they were doing, because they could 
not comprehend all the malice of their crime" — 
u Nescierunt quid fecerunt, quia quantum deliquerunt 
nescierunt." (St. Bern., Tract, de Pass. Dom., 8.) 
This is true in three different ways. 

1st. The enemies of our Lord, both Jews and 
Gentiles, did not and could not fully understand 
the immense dignity and the infinite holiness of the 
incarnate Son of God. For this reason St. Peter 
said to them : "And now, brethren, I knozv that you 
did it through ignorance, as also your rulers. But 
these things which God had foretold by the mouth of 
all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he 
hath so fulfilled. Be penitent, therefore, and be con- 
verted, that your sins may be blotted out!' (Acts, 
iii, 17-19.) Like his divine Master, St. Peter excused 
the Jews on account of their ignorance, which pre- 



394 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



vented them from comprehending fully the immense 
dignity and infinite holiness of Jesus, whom they 
had crucified. This explanation is taken Irom St. 
Paul, who says : " We speak the wisdom of God in 
a mystery, which is hidden, zvhich God predestin- 
ated before the world, unto our glory, which none 
of the princes of this world knew : for, if they had 
known it, they would never have crucified the Lord 
of glory y (i Cor., ii, 8.) This ignorance, however, 
did not and could not entirely excuse the Jews from 
a very grievous crime ; because, if they could not 
fully comprehend the divine nature of Jesus Christ, 
yet He had given them the most convincing proofs 
that He was God. All the prophets, as St. Peter 
justly remarks, had given testimony of His divine 
origin. Hence he exhorts them to be converted 
and to do penance for their sins, that they may be 
blotted out. 

2d. The second mystery that the enemies of our 
Lord could not understand was that of His humanity. 
It was impossible for them to form any idea of the 
excessive sufferings, both physical and mental, 
which their malice and cruelty inflicted upon our 
divine Saviour. They could not know the ex- 
traordinary intelligence, the most noble qualities, 
the high principles of honor, and the sublime 
virtues of His holy soul. They had no conception 
of the wonderful refinement and extreme physical 
sensibility of His most sacred body. They tortured 
His body, and afflicted His mind, as if He had 
been one of the lowest, roughest, and most per- 
verted of men, or rather a beast of the field. Hence 
our Lord could complain and say : "/ am treated 
as a worm, and not as a man ; I am made the reproach 
of men, and the outcast of the people" (Ps. xxi, 7.) 

3d. Lastly, as a necessary consequence of what 
we have said, the enemies of our crucified Saviour 
did not understand the real extent and the atrocity 
of their crime. They knew not the grievousness of 
their offence against God, against the divinity and 



Resits Prays for His Enemies. 



395 



humanity of Christ. They did not suspect the 
terrible injury they were inflicting on themselves 
and on their nation in time and eternity, when they 
impiously cried out : "Let his blood fall upon us, and 
upon our children" (Matt., xxvii, 25.) Hence St. 
Bernard observes, that those who, by wilful sin, 
forfeit the joys of heaven, and incur the pains of 
hell, should be considered insensate, and ignorant 
of what they do. (St. Bern. Tract, de Pass. Dom., 
c. 8.) 

This affected and culpable ignorance of the 
enemies of our Saviour did not, and could not ex- 
cuse them from committing most grievous crimes. 
Therefore He prayed for their pardon : "Father, 
forgive them." But, because in His infinite charity, 
and most merciful compassion, our crucified Lord 
discovered on their souls those three thin shadows 
of ignorance, He immediately made use of them, 
pleading in their behalf before the tribunal of His 
Father's justice : "Father, forgive them, for they know 
not what ttiey do." 

Who will not admire the goodness of our 
Saviour's heart? What person but Jesus alone, 
under such aggravating circumstances, could have 
been induced not only to forgive His most cruel 
murderers, but also to pray for them, and to ex- 
cuse crimes, which to human reason seem utterly 
inexcusable ? Yet our dear Lord did all this in 
behalf of His mortal enemies : "Father, forgive them, 
for they k?iow not what they do." 

IV. Let us draw practical conclusions. First, let 
us reflect that this divine Redeemer, who so merci- 
fully forgives His cruel and mortal enemies, will 
one day, and, perhaps very soon, be our judge. 
Many Christians dread the severity of this judgment. 
Many Christian preachers seem to exaggerate its 
rigors. No doubt Jesus Christ will be a just judge. 
He will condemn and punish sin in whomsoever 
He may find it. But His very justice will not 
permit Him to see more malice in our sins than 



39 6 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



what actually exists. He will never exaggerate 
our sins. Moreover, Jesus our judge is Jesus 
our Saviour. He is infinitely more anxious for 
our acquittal and eternal salvation, than for our 
condemnation and everlasting punishment. He 
came not to judge, but to save sinners. His infinite 
goodness and mercy can never he separated from 
Him. If on the cross Jesus prayed for His execu- 
tioners, and found means to excuse their malice 
before the justice of His offended Father, oh ! His 
merciful Heart will have no less compassion for an 
humble and trembling soul, less guilty than the 
Jews, when brought before His divine tribunal to 
receive the sentence of her eternal doom. O divine 
Jesus ! I confess that I am a poor miserable sinner, 
and I have cause to dread the rigors of Thy judg- 
ment. But Thy merciful compassion for Thy 
executioners fills my heart with confidence in Thy 
mercy. I prefer to have Thee for my final judge, 
rather than the most indulgent man upon earth. 
I am the creature of Thy hands, which I see pierced 
with nails for my sake. I am the price of Thy 
blood, which has been shed for my ransom. I am 
the child of Thy heart, which has been opened for 
my refuge. At my judgment I will see these 
glorious wounds still opened in my behalf. I will 
appeal to them for mercy, and I will fly for protec- 
tion into the sacred wound of Thy most loving 
heart. Like Thy holy servant, David, I beseech 
Thee, " let my judgment come forth from thy coun- 
tenance : let thy eyes behold the things that are equi- 
table" (Ps., xvi, 2.) Jesus, my Saviour ! I fear not 
Thy judgment, because I trust in Thy mercy. 

Our second practical conclusion should be to 
judge our neighbors as we like to be judged both 
by them and by God. In imitation of bur crucified 
Saviour, let us use charity with our fellow-men in 
their faults. St. Bernard says : " Excuse the inten- 
tion of the sinner, when you cannot excuse the sin. 
Attribute his fall to ignorance, to surprise, to 



Jesus Prays for His Enemies. 397 

accident, to the violence of temptation, to the weak- 
ness of human nature." (St. Bern. Serm. 40, in Cant.) 

Third Point. 

Consider that these words of St. Bernard intro- 
duce us to the most important and difficult lesson 
given to us by our divine Master from the chair of 
His holy cross. This is the forgiveness of injuries 
to all our enemies. 

I. All Christians are commanded by our Lord 
Jesus Christ to love their enemies. " You have 
heard that it hath been said, "Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor, and hate thy enemy. But I say to you, 
Love your enemies. Do good to them that hate 
you, and pray for them that persecute and calum- 
niate you." (Matt., v, 44.) Ffom these words of our 
divine Master we learn that there may be four kinds 
of enemies. 1st. Those who hate us in their hearts. 
2d» Those who calumniate us by words. 3d. Those 
who injure us in our property. 4th. Those who 
persecute and afflict us in our persons. Now we, 
as Christians, are commanded to love our enemies. 
"I say to you, Love your enemies." We are 
commanded to forgive them. "Forgive, if you have 
anything against any man. But if you will not 
forgive, neither will your Father, who is in heaven, 
forgive you your sins." (Matt, xi, 25.) In proof of 
our forgiveness, we are commanded to pray for our 
enemies, and when opportunity presents itself, we 
are obliged to manifest our forgiveness by kind 
words, and by charitable deeds. "Love your enemies. 
Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them 
that persecute and, calumniate you." Commenting 
upon these words, St. Jerome says : " Many persons 
measuring the commands of God by their own 
individual weakness, and overlooking the example 
of the saints, say that it is sufficient for a virtuous 
man not to hate his enemies. But they believe that 



398 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



the precept of loving our enemies, and doing good 
to them that hate us, is more than human nature 
can bear, and impossible for them to comply with 
it. We should reflect, however, that Jesus Christ 
never commands what is impossible, but only what 
leads to the perfection of Christian charity. Look 
at the example of the saints. Holy David forgave 
Saul and Absalom. The protomartyr, St. Stephen, 
prayed for those who were stoning him to death. 
St. Paul wished to be anathematized for the sake 
of his persecutors. Jesus Christ taught us, by His 
words and example, to forgive our enemies, and to 
pray for them. Upon the cross He prayed not 
only for His persecutors, but for His executioners 
and for His impious blasphemers, saying : "Father, 
forgive tliem, for they knozv not zvhat they do." (St. 
Jerom., I, lib. Com. in c. v, Matt.) 

We can, therefore, do what others have done. We 
should obey the command of Jesus Christ, and imi- 
tate His example. He forgave all His enemies, He 
prayed for them aloud, to move us by His example. 
He offered His love and grace to them. He was 
anxious, not only to bestow favors on them during 
time, but to admit them to His happy company for 
all eternity in heaven. 

II. Christian reader, pause here, enter into your 
heart, examine carefully your internal dispositions in 
relation to any person whom you may be tempted 
to consider your enemy. You cannot have received 
as many affronts and injuries as your divine 
Saviour suffered from His persecutors. He for- 
gave them from His whole heart. He prayed for 
them. He excused their ignorance. 

Let His example move your heart. Forgive 
your enemies for His dear sake. Do not reflect on 
their malice. Think on the goodness of your cru- 
cified Saviour. Do for Him what you would not 
do for a poor, erring, mortal man. If your enemy 
has offended you, reflect that by your sins you have 
also offended God, who is a more worthy person 



Jesus Prays for His Enemies. 



399 



than you are. You cannot be saved except your 
sins are forgiven you by God. "But if you will not 
forgive, ne it Iter will your Father, who is in heaveu, 
forgive you your sins" (Mark, xi, 25.) Your sins 
must be forgiven through the merits of our Saviour's 
passion, and through the efficacy of His' prayer of 
pardon. But how can you, dear reader, presume 
upon these merits and prayers of your crucified 
Saviour, if you obstinately refuse to obey His posi- 
tive command, and to imitate His example ? Reflect 
that, when you recite the Lord's Prayer and address 
to God these words, "Forgive us our trespasses as 
we forgive those who trespass against us" instead of a 
prayer you pronounce a curse against your obstinate 
heart. For you pray God to deal with you as you 
do with your enemy, and, refusing to forgive him, 
you indirectly pray God to refuse to pardon you. 
"So also shall my heavenly Father do to you" our 
Lord says, "if you forgive not every one his brother 
from your hearts". (Matt., xviii, 35.) 

By refusing to forgive an external enemy, you 
become the most cruel foe of your own soul. You 
hinder God from forgiving your sins. You render 
useless the sacrifice of the cross. You turn the 
blood of your Redeemer to your condemnation. 
You make His example of pardon to plead for ven- 
geance against you. In your hatred against your 
enemy, you nurse a venomous viper in your bosom 
that will daily sting your conscience, corrode your 
heart, impair your health, shorten your life, and 
destroy your happiness in time and eternity. Let 
your past experience be your teacher. Learn 
therefore by your own painful experience. Listen,, 
dear friend, to the voice of your crucified Saviour. 
Harden not your heart to the inspiration of His 
grace. "Forgive, and you shall be forgiven" (Luke, 
vi, 37.) Cast yourself in spirit at the foot of your 
Saviour's cross, and say to Him : 



400 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Prayer. 

Merciful Saviour ! Thy prayer on the cross for 
Thy enemies has pierced my heart. I am surprised 
at Thy infinite goodness, in hearing Thee pray for 
Thy malicious and cruel persecutors, and especially 
in Thy excusing them before the throne of Thy 
heavenly Father. I also have need of Thy prayer 
of mercy. 1 have often grievously offended Thee. 
My crimes have been so great and so numerous, 
that, had it not been for Thy prayer on the cross, I 
should have yielded to the temptation of despair of 
ever obtaining pardon for them. Merciful Jesus ! 
forgive my sins. After Thy merits, I offer Thee the 
best motive in my power to move Thy loving heart 
to mercy towards me. For Thy sake, dearest Sav- 
iour ! I forgive all my enemies with my whole heart. 
In imitation of Thy example, I pray Thee to forgive 
them also. Thus, reconciled through Thy blood, 
and united in the charity of Thy heart during life, 
we may deserve to be united in praising and thank- 
ing Thy infinite mercy during an endless eternity in 
the kingdom of Thy glory ! Amen. 

Most afflicted Mother of our crucified Saviour! 
by your anguish at the foot of the cross, by your 
ardent charity, and by your fervent prayers, you 
have cooperated in the efficacy of your divine Son's 
petition for our pardon. In your maternal heart 
you have, O sweet Mother of mercy ! prayed with 
your crucified Son for the pardon of all His enemies, 
and for all poor sinners, among whom I am the first 
and the worst. Dearest Mother of Jesus ! you were 
too gentle, too kind, too meek, too innocent and 
holy to have any enemy. The love and power of 
your divine Son protected and shielded you, most 
amiable Mother ! from any insult during His passion, 
and while standing at the foot of the cross. Though 
a poor sinner, you cannot consider me your enemy. 
I am your adopted son. Obtain, merciful Mother ! 



Jesus Prays for His Enemies. 



401 



obtain for me the pardon of my crucified Brother. 
For His sake, and for your love, I also forgive all 
my enemies. Touch their hearts, dear Mother! 
draw them under the mantle of your charity where- 
in we may be perfectly reconciled through your 
intercession, and thus deserve to receive your 
maternal blessing and protection. 



402 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXV. CONSIDERATION. 



SECOND WORD OF JESUS ON THE CROSS: " AMEN 
I SAY TO THEE, THIS DAY THOU SHALT BE 
WITH ME IN PARADISE." (Luke, XX, 43.) 

I. Paradise may be considered in relation to God 
and in relation to man. Paradise in relation to God 
is the first and most magnificent token of His divine 
love for mankind. From the second chapter of 
Genesis we learn that, before creating man, God 
prepared for him an earthly paradise, wherein man 
could have enjoyed an ever-flourishing youth, 
blooming health, perfect beauty, universal know- 
ledge, everlasting life, and complete happiness. The 
conditions imposed by God for the perpetual enjoy- 
ment of this bliss were three: 1st. Acknowledg- 
ment of God's supreme dominion. 2d. Obedience 
to His law. 3d, Perseverance in original justice. 
In the state of original grace the faithful observ- 
ance of these conditions was very easy. 

II. Adam, as the first man, was the representative 
of mankind. Humanity was in him as in a germ. 
Upon his conduct depended our doom for happiness 
or for misery. Had he been faithful to his trust, all 
his posterity would have had a right to the posses- 
sion and enjoyment of this terrestrial paradise. Had 
he fallen, both he and all his posterity would have 
forfeited this precious inheritance. Adam unhappily 
fell. In punishment of his disobedience, he was 
forever expelled from that garden of delights. 
Cherubim with flaming swords are guarding every 
avenue. No man has ever been allowed to see that 
happy land. It is only through revelation and faith 
that we have learned its original existence. Thus, 
the empty terrestrial paradise during nearly six 
thousand years has become a standing reproach to 



Christ's Second Word on the Cross. 403 



man for his ingratitude to God, his divine and most 
generous benefactor. Hence, the terrestrial para- 
dise, in relation to God, is the first and most magni- 
ficent token of His divine love for man, and the 
standing proof of the first and blackest ingratitude 
of the heart of man against his divine Creator and 
most loving Father. All hope of ever seeing that 
garden of delights and paradise of happiness was 
irrevocably lost to sinful man. 

But the second word of our divine Saviour upon 
the cross restores confidence to our desponding 
hearts. Blessed Jesus promises admission into par- 
adise to a repenting criminal. Four thousand years 
before, the malice of the devil succeeded in expel- 
ling Adam from that happy place, but the charity 
of Jesus will on this very day introduce into it the 
soul of the good thief, who has been crucified with 
Him on Mount Calvary. Expulit diabolus Adam 
de paradiso ; Christ us in paradisum latronem intulit. 
(St. Joan. Chrys. Homil. de cruce et latrone.) 

The circumstances which gave occasion to this 
glorious promise deserve our attentive consideration. 



First Point. 

I. Consider the malice of our Saviours enemies. 
They were not satisfied with condemning Him to 
the infamous death of the cross. They were de- 
termined to degrade Him forever before the eyes 
of the people, and in the estimation of all men. For 
this end they crucified two highway-robbers at the 
same time, and erected the two crosses on each side 
of our divine Lord. He was placed between these 
two great malefactors, in order that He should be 
considered by all the greatest criminal of the three. 
The holy prophet Isaias foretold this humiliation 
of our dear Saviour in these words : "He zvas re- 
puted with the wicked" (Isa., liii, 12.) But the 
malice of the Jews served only to enhance the 



404 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



charity of Jesus. "For the wicked man impudently 
hardeneth his face. But there is no wisdom, there 
is no prudence, there is no counsel against the Lord!' 
(Prov. ? xxi, 29.) One of the two crucified thieves, 
called Dimas, observing the admirable patience of 
our Saviour in His extreme sufferings, deeply struck 
with His superhuman charity in praying for His 
executioners, and hearing Him addressing God as 
His heavenly Father, believed that our crucified 
Lord was truly the Son of God and the Saviour of 
mankind. Dimas fully believed in the perfect inno- 
cence of our blessed Redeemer. Hence, hearing his 
wretched companion in suffering blaspheming our 
crucified Lord, he immediately "rebuked him, say- 
ing : Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art un- 
der the same condemnation? And we indeed justly 
suffer ; for we receive the due reward of o?ir deeds ; 
but this man hath done no evil." Then turning to 
Jesus, he said to Him : "Lord, remember me when 
thou shalt come into thy kingdom. And Jesus said 
to him : Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be 
with me in paradise." (Luke, xxiii, 39-43.) 

II. Consider attentively these words, Christian 
reader, and you will admire the wisdom of God 
that can turn the malice of our Saviour's enemies to 
His greater honor and glory. The malice of the Jews 
condemned our innocent Lord to die crucified be- 
tween two infamous public malefactors, more deeply 
to blast His reputation. But God changes one of 
these poor criminals into the first apostle of His Son's 
divinity, dignity, and holiness. 

From the pulpit of his cross Dimas, the convert- 
ed thief, with his arms extended, raises his voice, 
and proclaims to the surrounding crowd that Jesus 
of Nazareth whom they have crucified, and whom 
they actually mock, insult and blaspheme, is truly 
their God, their Messiah, and the Redeemer of man- 
kind. In these words of rebuke to his companion: 
u Neither dost thou fear God?" Dimas evidently 
proclaims his belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ. 



Christ's Second Word on the Cross. 405 



His companion was blaspheming our Saviour. 
Dimas rebukes him that, in doing so, he showed that 
he had no fear of God. As he would say : Beware 
of blaspheming this crucified man, because He is 
our God. Then turning to our blessed Saviour, he 
says : " Lord, remember me when thou shalt come 
into thy kingdom" Hence, St. Ambrose says : 
" This thief on the cross believes that Jesus crucified 
is the Lord our God. He believes Him to be God 
who is without sin. Deum credit quern reum nescit. 
The more Dimas sees Jesus humbled, the more he 
fears His divinity. " (St. Ambrose, Serm. 49, de 
Latrone.) 

Behold here the converted thief changed into 
the first apostle of our Saviour's incarnation. The 
Jews condemn our Lord to the death of the cross, be- 
cause He makes Himself the Son of God ; Dimas, 
crucified with Him, believes in His divinity, and 
makes a public profession of his faith : " Lord, re- 
member me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom" 
Though he sees the gaping wounds, and beholds 
the streaming blood of Jesus crucified, says St. 
Ambrose, yet the good thief believes in His divinity. 
Cernat licet ejus hiantia vulnera, spectet ipsius 
sanguinem pr fluent em ; Deum tamen credit, (Ibid.) 
Dimas proclaims Him to be God whom the Jews 
have crucified. 

III. Our faith in His divinity is the most evident 
proof of our Saviour's innocence. The Jews have 
condemned our Lord to death as a wicked male- 
factor, and as the malicious perverter and corrupter 
of the people over all Palestine. " We have 
found this man" they said to Pilate, "perverting the 
people, beginning from Galilee even unto Judea." 
(Luke, xxiii, 2, 5.) Dimas upon the cross confutes 
this blasphemous calumny by his example and by 
his words. His conversion is the best confutation 
of this calumny. Dimas has been converted by 
the admirable spectacle of Jesus' sanctity. His 
patience in suffering, His meekness in bearing 



406 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



insults, His recollection of mind, His fervent prayers 
to God from the cross for the pardon of His perse- 
cutors, are not the acts of a wicked criminal, but 
the heroic virtues of an eminent saint. The sanctity 
of Jesus has converted the sinner, and the grace of 
His divine holiness has sanctified his soul. After 
his conversion, Dimas can appeal to the Jews and 
say : I confess that I and my companion were great 
criminals when first nailed to this cross. We justly 
suffer this extreme punishment, for we receive the 
due reward of our deeds. But behold now in me the 
change which the example of the holiness of Jesus 
has wrought in my soul. Compare my present dis- 
positions with those of my companion : he remains 
obdurate in his sins because he follows your example ; 
I am changed, I am converted and sanctified, because 
I believe in Jesus crucified. Cease, then, impious 
men, cease blaspheming the sanctity, cease calum- 
niating the innocence of this just man, who hath 
done no evil. This Jesus who gives such bright 
examples of virtue, He who converts great sinners, 
He who communicates grace, and gives glory, 
cannot be a criminal, as you pretend. You calum- 
niate Jesus, because you are without the fear of 
God. . . Thus the converted thief, by his conduct 
and by His preaching, proclaims to the Jews and 
to the whole world the innocence and sanctity of 
our crucified Lord. Justum fatetur, says again 
St. Ambrose, justum fatetur, quern non meminit pec- 
catorem. (Serm. 49, ,de Latrone,) 

Lastly, the good thief from the cross announces 
the dignity of Jesus crucified. The Jews had ac- 
cused our Lord before Pilate as guilty of treason 
to Caesar, because He refused to pay the tribute, 
and because He had attempted to make Himself a 
king. In His trial, the Roman governor had dis- 
covered the innocence of our Saviour about these 
two charges, and about all others brought against 
Him by the malice of His enemies. He found 
them all calumnies invented by their envy and 



Christ's Second Word on the Cross. 407 



jealousy. Our divine Lord, however, stated before 
Pilate that He was a king, but His kingdom was 
not of this world* Pilate was so thoroughly con- 
vinced of the regal dignity of our Saviour, that he 
with his own hands wrote this sentence, and strictly 
commanded that it should be nailed above His head 
at the extremity of the cross : " Jesus oj Nazareth, 
King of the Jews." 

Now Dimas is the first person who acknowledges 
the royal dignity of our crucified Lord, does homage 
to Him as to a great and immortal monarch, and 
publicly proclaims his belief in the eternal kingdom 
of Jesus Christ : "Lord, remember me, when thou 
shalt come into thy kingdom " Admirable conversion 
of the good thief! exclaims St. John Chrysostom. 
This poor criminal saw our Saviour, not upon a 
kingly throne, but nailed upon a cross like himself, 
yet he honors Him as a king, and invokes Him 
as a Saviour. • " Lord, remember me, when thou shalt 
come into thy kingdom." Dimas did not see Jesus 
receiving any adoration in the temple or in any 
church, but he beholds Him mocked and derided, he 
hears the Jews blaspheming him upon the cross; 
yet he believes in our Saviour's divinity, he adores 
and worships Him, as if he contemplated Him in 
His heavenly glory. Dimas beholds the extreme 
poverty of Jesus on the cross, yet he implores His 
help and assistance as the Master of heaven and 
earth. O admirable convert, wonderful prodigy of 
the triumphant grace of Jesus! Happy Dimas! 
thou seest Jesus fastened to the cross, and pro- 
claimest Him the King of an eternal kingdom ; 
thou beholdest Jesus hanging from an infamous 
gibbet, and believest Him to be the Creator of the 
universe : Crucifixum vides, et re gem prcedicas. (1 Joan. 
Chrys. Homil. 2, de Cruce et Latrone.) 

IV. Here we may admire the wonderful power 
of God's wisdom, always triumphing over the 
malice of wicked men. The Jews had our Saviour 
crucified between two great malefactors, to cover 



403 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Him with infamy. God changes one of these male- 
factors into an apostle of His divinity, innocence, 
and sovereign dignity. During His crucifixion, 
Jesus, our Lord, receives more honor and glory from 
Dimas alone, than from all His apostles and disciples 
together. Let us repeat the great maxim of the wise 
man : "There is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there 
is no counsel against the Lord^ 

What God began to do with His divine Son, He 
has continued during nigh two thousand years in 
behalf of His Church. Her persecutors exerted all 
their power for the destruction of this Church, but 
by torturing her martyrs, they increased the number 
of the saints in heaven, and made her children multi- 
ply a hundred-fold on earth. The blood of martyrs 
became the seed of Christianity. Every heresiarch 
attempted to deny some dogmas, of her faith, but 
his impious unbelief brought forth her champions 
whose wisdom made the truth shine more brilliantly, 
rendered it more universally known, and more 
acceptable to mankind. The modern enemies of 
the Church have directed their attacks against her 
infallible Head, in the malignant hope of causing a 
schism ; but they have only contributed to effect a 
closer union of Catholic minds and hearts with the 
Supreme Pontiff. They have violently deprived 
the Pope of the material support of a small earthly 
kingdom, and God has opened for him the treas- 
ures of all the nations of the world. All the 
potentates of the earth together have not half the 
number of sincere and willing subjects that the Pope 
of Rome alone spiritually directs and governs. 
What God has done for His Son, and continues to 
effect for His Church upon earth, He does in pro- 
portion with each of His faithful servants persecuted 
and caluminated by the wicked for His sake. His 
divine wisdom makes everything contribute to the 
perfection of their virtue, to the increase of their 
merit, to the manifestation of His divine power, and 
to the final exaltation of His honor and glory. 



Christ's Second Word on the Cross. 409 



Second Point. 

Consider the wonders of divine grace in the con- 
version of the good thief on the cross. Behold a 
wretched man condemned to the most terrible death 
on account of his public crimes. He was a high- 
way robber, an assassin, a murderer. He and his 
unhappy companion in suffering were two such 
notorious criminals, that the ingenious malice of the 
Jews purposely selected them as the associates in 
punishment with Jesus, our Lord, in order to humble 
and degrade Him more deeply before the people. 
Consider now the complete triumph of divine grace. 

L Dimas received the light of divine faith. His 
cross was erected at the right hand of our crucified 
Saviour, and only at a short distance from Him. 
In his extreme sufferings he often looked at our 
Lord, and was highly edified by His gentle meek- 
ness and unconquerable patience. In hearing our 
Redeemer's prayer for His enemies, he judged Him 
to be a person of extraordinary sanctity. Remark- 
ing that our Lord addressed a prayer to God as to 
His Father, Dimas justly concluded that he was the 
true Son of God, the promised Messiah, and the 
Redeemer of mankind. Promptly corresponding 
to the light and inspiration of grace, he fully and 
firmly believed in His divinity. This Happy thief 
learned the goodness of Jesus, says Theophilactus, 
from the tone of His voice when He prayed for his 
persecutors. (Theop. in xxiii, Luc.) Consider the 
wonderful faith of this admirable convert. He has 
never witnessed any miracle performed by our 
Saviour. He has never heard Him preach. He 
must know that Jesus has been betrayed by one of 
His apostles ; he sees that all His former followers 
have abandoned Him. He was present at His trial, 
he knows His condemnation, Jesus is His compan- 
ion in suffering. Jesus suffers by far more than he 
does. The Jews utter not a word of reproach or 

18 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



insult against him, or against his companion in 
crime. But every tongue is sharpened against 
Jesus. The chief priests and the magistrates, the 
scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish people and pagan 
soldiers vie one with another in heaping insults and 
blasphemies upon our Lord. Yet, in spite of all 
this, Dimas believes in His divinity, and proclaims 
His innocence. " He beholds Jesus on the cross,'' 
St. John Chrysostom says, " and he prays to Him as 
if he saw Him seated on His throne of glory m 
heaven. He sees Him condemned, and invokes 
Him as a king ; he witnesses His sufferings, he hears 
the insults and blasphemies of the people, yet he 
adores Jesus as his God. "(S. Joan. Chrys. Homil. 
2, de Cruce et Latrone.) 

II. Once convinced of the truth of our Lord's di- 
vinity and perfect innocence, the heart of the good 
thief is inflamed with zeal for His honor. He re- 
bukes aloud his companion for his impiety in 
blaspheming Him. '''Neither dost thou fear God? 
This man hath done no evil." (Luke, xxiii, 40.) These 
words of just rebuke are pronounced aloud, because 
intended by him not only for his unhappy compan- 
ion, but for all the impious crowd that insults our 
Saviour. This is evident from the expression that 
he uses : "Neither dost thou fear God? " Thou con- 
demned to the cross, thou in the agony of death, 
art without any fear of God's impending judgment, 
like this impious crowd below, that surrounds us. 
Dimas, having the fear of God in his heart, dreads 
not the anger of men. Full of new zeal for the 
honor of Jesus, he bravely and boldly rebukes all 
those who dare to dishonor the innocent Son of God. 
Oh! what a lesson is this to the lukewarm indiffer- 
ence of the majority of modern Christians who 
behold God's majesty insulted in a thousand ways. 
They hear blasphemies against Jesus, and derisions 
and mockeries against His faith and the ministers 
of His holy religion, yet they connive at all these 
impieties by their guilty silence. 



Christ's Second Word on the Cross. 4 1 1 

III. But let us return to our fervent convert upon 
the cross. The great Pope St. Gregory describes 
his virtues. The hands and feet of Dimas are fastened 
with nails to the cross. His heart and tongue 
only remain free to him. Docile to the inspirations 
of grace, the good thief offers them both to God. 
With his heart he believes unto justice, and with 
his mouth he makes his confession to obtain eternal 
salvation. 

This great maxim is practised by Dimas more 
than twenty-four years before it was written by St. 
Paul. He also practises with perfection the three 
theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. He 
manifests his faith by confessing that Jesus Christ, 
whom he beholds dying on the cross, ought to, and 
will reign as God in heaven. He shows his hope 
in asking our Lord to remember him in His heavenly 
kingdom. For he hopes who prays with fervor. 
Dimas loves God in his heart, because he desires 
and asks to be united with Him for all eternity. 
And, surely, we love him with whom we seek to be 
inseparably united. He evinces his charity towards 
his neighbor when, in his zeal for the conversion and 
salvation of his companion in suffering, he mildly 
rebukes him for his blasphemies against our Saviour. 
Moreover, in reproaching his companion, he wishes 
to correct and convert all the enemies of Christ. 
(St. Greg. Papa, 18 moral.) "This happy thief," 
says St. John Chrysostom, " undertakes to teach all 
the multitude of people near the cross of Jesus, 
whilst he addresses words of correction to his com- 
panion in suffering" — Beatus latro adstantes docebat, 
talia disserens, quibus alium increpabat. 

IV. Dimas has indeed received all these gifts and 
graces through a most special mercy of our crucified 
Saviour. But he promptly and fully cooperates 
with his divine inspirations. Dimas humbly con- 
fesses his sins, acknowledges the justice of his pun- 
ishment. He heartily repents, and publicly asks 
pardon. "We indeed justly suffer; for we receive 



412 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



the due reivard of our deeds. Lord, remember me, 
when thou shalt come into thy kingdom." Behold 
here, Christian reader, a perfect model of a true con- 
vert. His conversion is prompt without delay. 
His first look towards our Saviour impressed him 
with respect. He observed His conduct, and was 
edified by His virtues. He listened to His words 
with attention. The title of Father given by our 
crucified Saviour in His prayer to God, inclined his 
mind to believe in His divinity. Dimas on the cross 
was making a correct use of his faculties. His eyes, 
his ears, his tongue, his mind, were free ; he made a 
right use of them all. The light of natural reason 
quickly brought his soul to the threshold of faith. 
He immediately entered the temple of the Divinity 
as soon as the gate was opened to him. Divine 
grace touched his heart, and he was thoroughly 
converted. 

Dimas proved the sincerity of his conversion by 
the humility of his public confession, by the patience 
with which he bore his extreme sufferings, and by 
accepting death as the just punishment due to his 
crimes: " We indeed 'justly suffer, for we receive the 
due rewards of our deeds." This good thief proved 
the fulness of his conversion by the public profession 
of his faith in the divinity of Christ : "Lord, remem- 
ber me, when thou shalt come into thy kingdom." 
By his zeal to promote His honor and glory : "This 
man hath done no evil" And by his charitable efforts 
to convert his companion and all the enemies of our 
crucified Saviour: "Neither dost thou fear God?" 

A true conversion from error to truth, from sin 
to virtue, brings to the soul the fire of God's love. 
Fire purifies, fire gives heat and light. Do you, 
dear reader, consider yourself a convert ? See how 
far you imitate the good thief. 



Christ's Second Word on the Cross. 413 



Third Point. 

Consider the reward which the faith, the humility, 
and the fervor of the good thief received from 
Jesus Christ. 

I. Dimas' conversion was prompt without delay, 
but more prompt was the grace of Jesus. " Oh, 
how swift was the mercy of God !" exclaims St. 
Amadeus. " The voice of prayer is scarcely heard, 
when it is immediately granted. " (St. Amad. Serm. 
de Bono Latrone.) Our good Jesus hears his 
prayer, grants him pardon, and promises him 
heaven at the same time. (St. Bern, tract de Pass. 
Domin.) 

Dimas' conversion was full without reserve. But 
the gifts of Jesus were more abundant than his 
prayer. For God gives always more than He is 
asked. The good thief asked to be remembered by 
our Lord when He should come into His kingdom. 
Jesus answers to him : "This day thou shalt be with 
me in paradise" Jesus is life. He lives who is 
with Christ. Where Jesus Christ is, there is the 
kingdom of bliss. (St. Ambros. in Luc. xxiii.) 

Dimas humbles himself by publicly confessing his 
crimes, and by acknowledging the justice of his 
punishment. Jesus exalts his humility : "For he 
that humbleth himself is exalted" From a great 
sinner he is turned into a great saint. He becomes 
on the cross the first confessor of the Christian faith, 
the apostle of the divinity of Christ, and a martyr of 
charity. From the cross he is raised to heaven, 
from his gibbet into paradise. 

II. It is the greatest boon of God's mercy for a 
poor sinner to be admitted into heaven after many 
years of tears and penance. But the good thief 
enters paradise immediately after his death on the 
cross. To secure him this glory and this happiness, 
our merciful Lord chooses to die a short time before 
His convert He receives his soul in the arms of His 



4H 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



mercy. He robes him in glory, and inebriates him 
with happiness. But greater honors are reserved 
for this happy thief. It is the custom of victorious 
kings to bring with them, as trophies of their 
triumph, some of the richest prizes and noblest 
captives that they have seized in war. With these 
they make their triumphant entry into the capital 
of their kingdom among the joyous acclamations 
of the whole nation, and the grateful homages of 
their subjects. As the first and richest prize of 
His holy passion, and the noblest trophy of His 
victory over sin, death and hell, Jesus brings with 
Him to paradise the happy soul of this penitent thief. 
'■ 'Sic Dominus latronem ducit secum in paradisian." 
(Theophil. comm. in xxiii, Luc.) Oh, what honor, 
what glory, what happiness for this converted soul 
to pass from the ignominy of the xross, and from 
the torments of death, to the everlasting joys of 
paradise in the company of our glorified Saviour ! 
"A cruce in ccelos, a condemnation in paradisum" 
(St. Ambros. in Luc. xxiii.) How well rewarded are 
now the faith, the humility, the patience, the zeal 
of the good thief! An act of faith, an act of humble 
contrition and fervent love, a short prayer, a few 
hours of patient suffering, obtain for him immense 
glory and eternal happiness. "Amen, I say to thee, 
this day thou shalt be with me in paradise." 

Christian sinner, there is hope for you. "Behold, 
the hand of the Lord is not shortened, that he cannot 
save; neither is his ear heavy, that he cannot hear." 
(Isa., viii, i.) How great and numerous soever 
your sins may be, never despair of the mercy 
of God. His mercy is greater than your sins can 
be ; for God's mercy is infinite. You may have 
been the slave of vice for many years. But lift up 
your desponding eyes to the cross of the converted 
thief. He was by profession a highway robber. 
He had led a life of crime during many years. 
But through the mercy of God and the merits of 
Jesus crucified, he is now a great saint. Had 



Christ's Second Word on the Cross. 415 



Dimas been less of a sinner, the mercy of God and the 
merits of Christ would have received less lustre and 
glory. Grace triumphs more gloriously in the con- 
version of great sinners. If you consider yourself 
a great sinner, your conversion and salvation will 
give greater glory to God, and bring greater joy 
to the loving heart of Jesus, who on the cross is 
thirsting and praying for your conversion. Listen, 
then, like Dimas, to the voice of His mercy. In this 
day of forgiveness and pardon, yield to the inspira- 
tion of grace. With a truly humble and contrite 
heart, which God never rejects, cast yourself at the 
foot of the cross, and say to your crucified Saviour: 



Prayer. 

Most merciful Redeemer ! if Thy prayer on the 
cross, addressed to Thy heavenly Father for the 
forgiveness of Thy enemies, could have left a shadow 
of doubt upon the mind of any poor desponding 
sinner, Thy promise to the good thief should now 
entirely remove it. Thy most consoling words to 
this repenting criminal are the actual realization 
of Thy prayer for mercy. I cannot for an instant 
doubt either the sincerity or the efficacy of Thy 
prayer. Any former hesitation proceeded on my 
side from want of faith in Thy divinity and in Thy 
goodness. But I do now most fully and most 
firmly believe in both. O infinite goodness of 
my crucified Saviour ! who can distrust Thy divine 
mercy, when we behold Thee entering paradise in 
company with this converted criminal? A fervent 
act of contrition, an humble and sincere confession, 
a short hour of willing penance, have sanctified a 
highway robber and assassin. The abundance of 
Thy grace has made him a saint, and Thy infinite 
goodness has made him eternally glorious and happy 
in heaven. May Thy mercy and goodness be for- 
ever praised ! 



4i6 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



I have full confidence in Thy mercy, but I will not 
abuse Thy patience. I will no longer delay my re- 
pentance, presuming on a death-bed conversion. I 
know not when I may have to die. I may, like 
many other sinners, die suddenly without warning. 
Though I may have the time, yet the grace of re- 
pentance may be justly denied to me in punishment 
of my criminal delay. The obstinacy in crime of 
the bad thief on the cross at Thy side who died im- 
penitent, is a severe check to presumption. Thou 
forgavest, dear Jesus, the good thief, to give hope 
to sinners, and to teach them to correspond with Thy 
grace immediately, when offered to them by Thy 
mercy. But in the obstinacy and reprobation of 
his companion in suffering, we have an example of 
Thy justice against delay of repentance. Both les- 
sons were necessary to us. I thank Thy wisdom and 
goodness for them. I am both ashamed and sorry 
for my past delay. I humbly ask Thy pardon. 
With the assistance of Thy grace I promise to begin 
from this moment a new life of virtue, and thus 
try to deserve to hear from Thy sacred lips at the 
point of my death, "This day thou shalt be with me 
in paradise!" 

Mother of mercy ! obtain for me the grace that I 
may spend the rest of my life in preparing for a 
happy death, and may deserve in that awful 
moment your special prayers and assistance, as you 
did with the good thief on the cross. I believe that 
both your presence and prayers contributed much 
to the conversion of Dimas. I beseech you also, 
most merciful Mother! to assist all souls that are at 
this moment in their last agony. By the grief 
which you experienced at the foot of the cross of 
your agonizing Son, Jesus, by your charity towards 
the good thief, obtain for them a true sorrow for all 
their sins, a happy death, and everlasting life in the 
kingdom of heaven ! Amen. 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 417 



XXVI. CONSIDERATION. 



THIRD WORD OF JESUS ON THE CROSS : "WHEN JESUS 
SAW HIS MOTHER AND THE DISCIPLE STANDING 
# WHOM HE LOVED, HE SAITH TO HIS MOTHER I 
WOMAN, BEHOLD THY SON. AFTER THAT 
HE SAITH TO THE DISCIPLE: BEHOLD 
THY mother." (John, xix, 26.) 

As soon as our divine Lord had been condemned 
to death by Pilate, His blessed Mother resolved to 
accompany Him to Mount Calvary, and be present 
at His death on the cross. This is not the practice 
of ordinary parents. Dread of public disgrace and 
infamy keeps them away from their children, when 
these are condemned to death in punishment of 
great crimes. But the mother of Jesus was well 
aware of His innocence and sanctity. She knew 
the glorious end for which her divine Son was go- 
ing to sacrifice His life. Moreover, our blessed 
Lady was desirous of sharing with Him in His hu- 
miliations, and thus by her internal sufferings con- 
tribute with our Saviour in the grand work of our 
redemption. 

Accompanied by John, the beloved disciple of our 
Lord, and by her cousin Mary, wife of Cleophas, 
and by Mary Magdalen, the afflicted Mother of 
our Lord, full of grief, but calm with resignation, 
followed Him to the place of execution, whilst, like 
a meek lamb, He was led to the slaughter of Calvary. 
During His painful journey, our blessed Lady saw 
her divine Son fall several times on the ground 
under the heavy burden of the cross. Prompted by 
her maternal affection, she made several attempts 
to draw near Him and afford Him some assistance, 
but she was rudely thrust back by those merciless 
executioners. 



4i8 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Arrived on Mount Calvary, the soldiers formed a 
circle, within which they surrounded our divine 
Victim and all His executioners. The crowd of 
cruel spectators drew close to the line of soldiers to 
witness our Saviour's crucifixion. His most loving 
Mother desired to be with Him. She made several 
efforts to draw near, but being repulsed by the 
heartless crowd, this afflicted Mother withdrew 
with her devout companions to a little distance of 
about twenty yards from the place of execution. 

From the savage shouts of the multitude' our 
blessed Lady perceived that some new torment or 
insult had been inflicted upon her beloved Son. He 
had in fact been stripped of His garments. Her 
maternal heart was beating with a painful anxiety. 
After a few moments of anxious suspense, she 
heard the sound of the executioner's hammer driv- 
ing iron nails through the hands and feet of her 
divine Son. From the agonizing lips of Jesus es- 
caped some deep involuntary sighs of pain, which, 
like burning harrows, pierced her maternal heart. 
In the intensity of her grief she burst into tears, and 
buried her face between her hands. She remained in 
this position for some minutes, making fervent acts 
of resignation to the holy will of God, and unit- 
ing her internal grief with her divine Son's suffer- 
ings. But a general commotion of the crowd and 
a universal shout of the people roused her attention. 
Mary raised her head, and directed her looks to- 
wards the place of the crucifixion, when a most 
painful spectacle presented itself to her weeping eyes. 
Our blessed Lady beheld her Son lifted up in the air, 
fastened with nails to the cross, and his sacred body 
covered all over with gaping wounds, streaming 
with His life's blood in every direction. Oh ! what 
a sight was this for the eyes of Mary, the tenderest 
and most loving of mothers ! 

What would be the feelings of an ordinary mother, 
if, on going out of her house, she were unexpectedly 
to behold her only son hung by the neck to a post, 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 419 



or to the branch of a tree, by an excited mob, and, 
in his dying moments, this youth were to turn his 
agonizing look upon his horror-stricken mother and 
say : Mother, behold what my enemies have done 
to me ! Mother ! mother ! I am dying. — Could any 
parent bear to witness such a spectacle ? Could the 
loving heart of any mother stand such a shock with- 
out breaking with grief? Alas! that the simple 
imagination, a mere dream of this kind, would op- 
press with anguish the heart of any parent. But, 
dear reader, it was not an imagination, it was not a 
dream for the loving Mother of Jesus upon Mount 
Calvary. This was a real fact. This awful fact 
is recorded by St. John, who was present at this 
painful tragedy. " There stood" he says, "by the cross 
of Jesus, Mary, his Mother" 

This noble Lady and most afflicted Mother be- 
held her agonizing Son, Jesus, upon the cross. 
Prompted by maternal affection, as soon as permit- 
ted by that heartless, sneering and blaspheming 
crowd, blessed Mary with her faithful companions 
drew close to the cross of her Son. She could 
then contemplate Him more fully. She gave Him 
a searching look from head to foot. She saw His 
head crowned with thorns, His hands and feet 
pierced by nails, His whole body covered with 
wounds, His sacred face defiled with blood. At 
this painful spectacle, the soul of Mary was truly 
pierced with the sword of grief, foretold thirty-three 
years before by holy Simeon. The violence of her 
sorrow forced some deep sighs from her lips pale 
with anguish. The attention of Jesus was attracted 
by the heartrending sobs of His afflicted Mother. 
From the cross He gave her a most affectionate 
look. Their eyes met. And, oh ! who can attempt 
to describe the anguish of Jesus and the grief of 
Mary ! Jesus, such a son ; Mary, such a mother ! 

Our Saviour's heart was deeply affected. He 
shed some tears. But doing immediately great 
violence to His internal feelings, with a clear, sweet, 



420 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



and most affectionate tone of voice, Jesus said to 
His Mother : " Woman, behold thy Son." Our cruci- 
fied Saviour accompanied these few words with a 
gentle motion of His head and eyes towards the 
person of His beloved disciple, John, who was 
standing by His mother's side between His cross 
and that of the good thief. By these memorable 
words divine Jesus gave His mother to understand 
that, the hour of His death having arrived, He 
wished to leave to her His beloved disciple, John, in 
His place as her adopted son. Having addressed 
these words to His Mother, who immediately under- 
stood their meaning, and promptly gave in her 
heart her full consent, our crucified Saviour moved 
again His head and eyes from His disciple to His 
most beloved Mother, and bowing to her in sign of 
respect, He said to John : "Behold thy Mother ! " 
These two memorable sentences expressed the last 
will of our Saviour upon the cross. They deserve 
our serious consideration. They will form the 
subject of our meditation. 



First Point. 

" Woman, behold thy Son!' These words of our 
crucified Saviour are very precious to the heart of 
every devout Christian : let us, then, consider them 
separately. 

I. " Woman ! " Our Lord on the cross spoke only 
few words, but they are all full of divine wisdom. 
We remarked above that our loving Saviour did not 
allow His mother to be insulted by His enemies. 
During the great excitement of that heartless crowd 
consequent on His crucifixion, had Jesus called our 
blessed Lady by her title of Mother, she might 
most likely have been exposed to the jeers and 
insults of the people. Hence, out of regard for her, 
He most prudently called her Woman. Secondly, 
our divine Saviour used this word in order to show 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 42 1 

that the first promise made by God's mercy to our 
fallen parents is now accomplished. God promised 
that, to atone for the sin of Eve, who fell through 
the 'deceit of the infernal serpent, He would send a 
woman, who, with her virginal and immaculate foot, 
was to crush its proud head. U I will put enmity 
between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed. 
She shall crush thy head" (Gen., iii, 15.) This mer- 
ciful promise and prophecy is now accomplished. 
Mary is the happy woman who has cooperated with 
her crucified Son in crushing under the foot of the 
cross the infernal serpent's head. The word woman 
addressed by our Saviour to His most holy Mother, 
indicates both the accomplishment of the promise, 
and the privileged woman selected by God for this 
great achievement. Most blessed Mary at the foot 
of the cross has therefore crushed the head of the 
infernal serpent. " / will put emnity between thee 
and the woman, and thy seed and her seed. She shall 
crush thy head." May God be praised for it ! May 
the blessed Mother of Jesus be honored by all 
generations ! 

The third motive of our agonizing Saviour in 
giving this title of woman to His mother was to 
teach us by His example that, at least at the point of 
death, we should be detached from every human 
affection, and that we should then give all our heart 
to our heavenly Father. u Blessed are the dead who 
die in the Lord." (Apoc, xiv, 13.) 

II. In the fourth place, Solomon, being well aware 
of the natural weakness and timidity of the female 
character, had asked : " Who shall find a valiant 
woman ? Far and from the utmost coasts is the price 
of her." After having described the noble prero- 
gatives of this woman, he concludes: u Favor is 
deceitful, and beauty is vain. The zvoman that feareth 
the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit 
of her hands, and let her zvorks praise her in the gates." 
(Prov., xxxi, 10, 30.) Our divine Saviour answers 
this question from the cross, and points to His 



422 



The Voice of Jems Suffering. 



Mother as the valiant woman after whom the wise 
man is inquiring. Mary, the Blessed among women, 
shows by her conduct that she is a most valiant 
woman, fearing the Lord more than all the malice 
and hatred of her Son's enemies. With heroic 
courage she followed Him to the place of His 
crucifixion. With greater firmness than the rocks, 
which are trembling under her virginal feet, Mary 
remained standing at the foot of the cross of her 
agonizing Son. With one single exception, all the 
apostles and disciples of our Lord have through 
fear abandoned Him ; but the great Mother of Jesus 
remains intrepid by His cross. "Stabat ante crucem 
Mater, et fugentibus viris stab at intrepida" says 
St. Ambrose. (Virgin, cap. vii.) Her devout looks 
were fixed on the bleeding wounds of her Son, who 
was sacrificing His life for the redemption of man- 
kind. Without the least fear of the hatred of the 
executioners, this worthy Mother of our Redeemer 
bravely kept her place by the side of her crucified 
Son, ready and willing to sacrifice her life with Him 
for our salvation. (St. Ambrose, de inst. Virgin, c. 
vii.) St. Anselm adds: "Strong in the faith of her 
divine Son, blessed Mary stood by His cross with 
heroic constancy and unconquerable patience. She 
saw all His disciples fly from their Master at the 
approach of danger, all the apostles had disappeared, 
but, to the glory of her sex, Mary alone constantly 
remained with Jesus in all His sufferings and hu- 
miliations — Stab at juxta crucem Jesus Mater ejus. 
Oh, how noble and beautiful is this expression of 
her adopted Son, who understood well the true 
character of this valiant Lady ! " Mary was standing 
as her dignity of Mother of God required. Mary 
was standing as the honor and delicacy of her vir- 
ginal modesty suggested. In the overwhelming 
anguish of her maternal heart, she gave no vent to 
passionate bursts of grief, she uttered no word ol 
complaint, no murmurs against the enemies of Jesus ; 
she sought not, she wished not for any revenge or 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 423 



punishment from God against the executioners 
of her beloved Son. No sign of feminine weakness, 
no indication of human passion, could be observed 
in the conduct of this truly noble and valiant 
woman. Mary was standing calm and recollected 
at the foot of the cross, assisting with profound de- 
votion at the august sacrifice of the divine Victim 
on the altar of Calvary. With the modesty of the 
Queen of Virgins, with the heroic fortitude of the 
Queen of Martyrs, immersed in grief, bathed in 
tears, Mary stood near the cross of Jesus." So far 
St. Anselm. (Lib. de Excel. Virg. c. v.) 

The blessed Mother of Jesus could not in any 
way be inferior to the brave mother of the seven 
martyred Machabees. The Scripture says of her: 
"Now the mother was to be admired above measure, 
and was worthy to be remembered by good men, who 
beheld her seven sons slain in the space of one day, and 
bore it zvith good courage, for the hope that she had in 
God. She bravely exhorted every one of them in her 
own language, being filled zvith wisdom, and joining a 
man s heart to a woman's thought." (2 Mach., vii, 20.) 
No, St. Ambrose says, the holy Mother of Jesus was 
not inferior in courage to the mother of the Macha- 
bees, nor unequal in faith, devotion, love and resig- 
nation, to the holy patriarch Abraham, who, in 
obedience to God, was ready and willing to sacrifice 
his only son Isaac. (Gen., xxii.) Oh ! yes, without 
doubt, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is the valiant 
woman who, with her heroic courage, has conquered 
the devil, crushed the head of the infernal serpent, 
elicited the admiration of all the angels of heaven, 
and the confidence of all devout Christians on 
earth. "Let her zvorks praise her in the gates." What 
wonder, then, if her divine Son is the first to pro- 
claim her praises to the whole world from the chair 
of His cross, saying, " Woman, behold thy son " / This 
most holy Mother needed heroic strength and 
patience to remain calm and silent by the cross of her 
beloved Son, whilst the Jewish priests, scribes and 



424 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Pharisees, whose character and learning she had 
been taught to respect, were mocking and blas- 
pheming Him in His agony. This loving Mother 
had to exercise more than human fortitude to bear 
with resignation the derisions of the heartless crowd 
wagging their heads in contempt at and heaping 
insults upon her crucified Son. How hard must it 
have been for her maternal heart to behold these 
barbarous executioners parting between themselves 
the precious garments of her Son still living, and 
casting lots upon His miraculous tunic, which she 
had woven for Him with her loving hands ! O 
most loving Mother ! how severe must have been 
your trial when you heard the heartrending cry of 
anguish of your divine Son in His most painful 
dereliction, when you saw Him imbittered with 
vinegar and gall in His agonizing thirst ; when you 
beheld Him bowing down His adorable head 
towards you, and expire on the cross ! 

Oh ! what strength of character was required of 
you, most afflicted Mother, to receive His dead body 
in your arms, to assist at His funeral, to be present 
at His burial ! 

But, O bereaved Mother! greater strength of 
mind was necessary for you to survive your divine 
Son, and languish in exile upon earth deprived 
during many years of the visible presence of Him 
who was your love, your life, your only happiness. 
Moreover, in your exile and in your affliction, you 
had to support the weakness of the infant Church, 
to encourage the apostles, to confirm the wavering 
faith of the disciples, to impart consolation and hope 
to all. ' 

Remember, most holy Mother, that when your 
Son called you Woman, He made you understand 
that you were the most valiant and the most gener- 
ous person upon earth. He constituted you the 
basis, the foundation-stone, and the column of Plis 
Church, that you may support and defend it with 
your invincible strength, quelling with the con- 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 425 



stancy of your faith every storm raised by the gates 
of hell against the frail bark of Peter, defeating 
with the wisdom of your counsel every stratagem of 
heresy and impiety, and protecting, by the power 
and fervor of your prayers, to the end of time, all 
the faithful disciples of your Son Jesus. Most holy 
Patroness, we are in need of your help. A furious 
storm is raging against the Church of your Son. 
Modern pagans are madly bent upon her destruc- 
tion, and many persons in power have devised new 
plots to undermine her foundation. The kings of the 
earth are up in arms against her, and the princes 
have met together against the Lord and against 
His Christ. The Supreme Pontiff, who in his piety 
proclaimed the glory of your Immaculate Concep- 
tion, is a prisoner in his own capital, and Christian 
Rome is defiled by the presence, by the blasphemies, 
and by the sacrileges of the impious enemies of your 
divine Son. Arise, O Mary, most valiant woman ! 
arise. Gird yourself in the strength of your power, 
crush the head of the infernal serpent of secret 
societies ; like Judith, cut off the head of the Holo- 
fernes of modern impiety, scatter all the enemies of 
our holy faith, restore peace to the Church, confi- 
dence to your children, glory, dignity, and power to 
our imprisoned Father, the Vicar of your Son Jesus, 
our Lord and Saviour. "Woman, behold thy Son." 

III. All this and much more was in the mind of 
our crucified Redeemer, when He addressed these 
memorable words to His Mother at the foot of His 
cross. Jesus had the most tender love for her. 
This most holy Son of God loved in Mary all the 
immense treasures of gifts and graces which the 
most holy Trinity had lavished upon her privileged 
soul. In His eyes she was more holy, and to His 
divine heart she was more dear, than all the angels 
and saints put together. We have given a rapid 
glance at the sublime sanctity of blessed Mary in 
our preliminary remarks before the crucifixion. 
Devout reader, we refer you to them. But Jesus 



426 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



had stronger motives for His special love. Mary 
immaculate was His Mother. And, oh ! how 
ardently the heart of Jesus loved Mary. Nature 
has planted a strong manly affection in the heart of 
every dutiful son for his mother. The daughter 
naturally turns to the father ; but the mother has 
the special affection of the son. Jesus is the God 
of nature, and the only child of Mary. Mary is to 
Jesus both mother and father. As the eternal 
Word of God had no Mother in heaven, so He came 
upon earth to find a Mother in the immaculate Vir- 
gin of Nazareth. Jesus has concentrated in Mary 
all the love of an only child ; Jesus loves in Mary 
both His human father and mother. Mary is His 
only parent on earth, as God is His only Father in 
heaven. Hence Jesus loves Mary with all the affec- 
tion of His filial heart. Jesus loves Mary with an 
infinite, because divine, love. Oh! this divine Son 
could not, no, He could not bear to plunge from 
His cross this fiery sword of grief in the heart of 
Mary, by calling her Mother with the expiring ac- 
cents of His agonizing voice. Too many maternal 
hearts have been broken with grief, when the dying 
voice of a beloved son pronounced this all-endear- 
ing word, Mother ! . . . Jesus is more wise, Jesus 
will not add new grief to the heart of Mary already 
overwhelmed with anguish! Ah! why call her 
Mother when death is snatching Him away from 
her presence? This title will make her feel more 
keenly the agonizing bitterness of the imminent 
separation from her Son. " Woman" then Jesus said, 
"zvoman, behold thy son" . . . This was the last and 
one of the best motives, why Jesus called her woman. 
All is wisdom, all is mysterious love that Jesus ex- 
presses upon the cross. Divine Jesus ! we admire, 
w r e praise Thy charity. 



Chrisfs Third Word on the Cross. 427 



Second Point. 

From these divine words we may begin to dis- 
I cover the excessive sorrow of Mary's heart. The 
I mysterious sword of grief is now transfixing her 
I noble soul. 

L Grief is the first child of love. The blessed 
I Mother of Jesus loves her Son more than all the 
| saints and angels together love Him. In Him she 
loves her Creator, her Redeemer, her most gener- 
\ ous Benefactor. Mary knows that "he who is 
I mighty hath done great things in her, and holy is 
I his name. Because he hath regarded the humility 
\ of his handmaid ;" and on account of the extraordi- 
I nary gifts and graces bestowed upon her, "all gene- 
I rations shall henceforth call her blessed' (Luke, i, 
I 48.) Mary at the foot of the cross loves her God as 
I much as any pure creature assisted by all the power 
! of divine grace can love. She loves Him with her 
I whole mind, heart, soul, and strength. More than 
I thirty-three years before, her mind, heart and soul 
v had been found by the Archangel Gabriel full of 
I divine grace and love. Yet, the mystery of charity 
li had not been wrought in her by the Most Holy 
i Trinity. She was not then the Mother of the eter- 
|, nal Word. It was on that solemn occasion that the 
! power of the Most High overshadowed her soul and 
body, and the Holy Ghost in all the plentitude of 
divine love came upon her, and she became the 
\ Mother of Him, who now, in the flower of His age, 
is dying before her eves upon the cross. In Jesus, 
I then, this most holy Mother loves her God as well 
as her Son. He is her only Son, as she is His only 
parent upon earth. As Jesus loves in Mary both 
father and mother, so Mary loves Jesus with the 
strong love of a father, and the most tender affection 
of a mother. 

The soul, we are told, is more where she loves 
\ than where she lives. Love transports the soul into 



428 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



the object of all her affection. The soul of Mary is 
entirely in Jesus, because her whole heart's love is in 
Him. "Dolor Filii mei erat dolor meus, quia cor ejus 
erat cor meum." (St. Bridget, Revelat. lib. iv, 
chap, xxiii.) Jesus is her element, her light, her 
life and her only happiness. He is dying. In His last 
word, " Woman, behold thy son" His afflicted Mother 
hears His last will, and sees the most evident sign of 
His speedy death. She is suffering in her heart all 
that Jesus suffers in his body. She is agonizing 
with His agony, but death refuses to come to her 
relief. The sword of grief is piercing her soul, but 
her spirit survives her martyrdom. 

II. The most holy Virgin Mary is more than a 
martyr, says St. Jerome, because she suffered in her 
soul, and the martyrdom of the soul is superior to 
that of the body, as the spirit is superior to the flesh. 
(St. Hieronim. de Assumptione Virgin.) Mary at 
the foot of the cross was more than a martyr, says 
St. Ildephonsus, she was the Queen of martyrs, 
because she had two executioners in her heart. 
These were : her most ardent love, and her most 
cruel sorrow. Both swords pierced her heart in- 
teriorly. Moreover, she was a martyr in desire, 
and she longed to die a martyr in the company and 
for the sake of her Son, but no executioner was 
found willing to comply with her wish. The 
blessed Mother of Jesus was more than a martyr, 
because, wounded by love, she stood at the foot of 
the cross as the witness of His sufferings, and be- 
cause, in the excessive grief of her soul, she endured 
all the tortures of her crucified Son. (St. Ilde- 
phonsus, Serm. ii, de Assumptione.) 

St. Anselm says to blessed Mary : " Most holy 
Virgin, all the torments inflicted on the bodies of 
the martyrs were very little, or, rather, nothing, in 
comparison to thy internal anguish at the foot of the 
cross. The passion and the agony of thy Son, with 
the immensity of His sufferings, pervaded all 
the powers of thy soul, and transfixed thy maternal 



Christ s s Third Word on the Cross. 429 



heart. I believe, most holy Lady, that it would 
have been absolutely impossible for thee to bear 
without dyiug such overwhelming grief, had not 
the Author of life, for whose sake thou wert suffer- 
ing, miraculously preserved thy existence. " (St. 
Anselm, lib. de Excell. Virgin., c. v.) 

Lastly, St. Bernard says : " No human tongue 
can express, no human mind can conceive, how 
great was the grief of Mary at the foot of the cross 
of her Son Jesus. She who experienced no pain 
at His birth in the grotto of Bethlehem, had to en- 
dure a thousand repeated pangs at His death on 
Calvary." (St. Bernard, in Lament. B. Marias.) 

III. In Bethlehem blessed Mary became the 
Mother of the Author of life and grace, but on 
Calvary she became the mother of all Christians, 
who are all born in sin. She had, during those 
three hours of agony, to endure all at once noi 
merely a thousand repeated pangs, but as many 
millions of pangs endured in childbirth, as there 
were to be children born to Jesus Christ from that 
moment to the end of time. With the prolific word 
of Jesus Christ, "Woman, behold thy son" blessed 
Mary was not only made the true spiritual mother 
of St. John, but also of all the members of His holy 
Church. This most important and consoling fact, 
so honorable to our blessed Lady, and so beneficial 
to us her children, demands and deserves our most 
serious attention. Reflect, then, devout Christian, 
that, on this solemn and public occasion, Jesus our 
Lord spoke as a Redeemer. We learn from the 
Gospel that He usually styled Himself the Son of 
man, that is to say, the representative of mankind 
before the court of heaven, and before the Majesty 
of God. In the supernatural work of redemption, 
Jesus was to mankind, but in a more perfect degree, 
what Adam was to the human race in the order of 
nature and of original justice. St. Paul says: "The 
first man, Adam, was made a living soul, the last 
Adam a quickening spirit . . . therefore as we have 



43° The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the 
image of the heavenly." (i Cor., xv, 45.) Now 
Adam was not only an individual person, but he 
was also, and he was most eminently, the moral and 
responsible representative of mankind, the fountain- 
head of humanity, the arbiter of human destiny. 
Such was Jesus Christ in the order of redemption. 
It was because He wished to be believed and 
acknowledged in this public character of represent- 
ative of regenerated humanity, that He so often 
styled Himself the Son of man. He never said that 
He was Jesus of Nazareth, He did not call Himself 
the Son of Mary. These titles would have con- 
veyed a very imperfect idea of His true character ; 
they would have contracted the sphere of His 
action, and limited the general object of His great 
mission upon earth. Jesus had^ a truly catholic, 
universal mission to accomplish. It was the re- 
demption of the whole human race. He was the 
restorer of fallen humanity, the Saviour of sinful 
man, the universal representative of mankind. 
Hence, our divine Lord, during the three years of 
His mission upon earth, never omitted an oppor- 
tunity of fixing the attention of His hearers on this 
fundamental dogma of Christianity, by calling 
Himself the Son of man. 

But, if our Lord was so anxious to be believed 
and acknowledged as the representative of mankind 
during the three years of His public mission in 
Palestine, He most certainly more than ever as- 
sumed this universal character during His sacred 
passion, and especially on the high altar of the 
cross, during the solemn sacrifice which He was 
publicly offering in His person for the general 
redemption of all mankind. The immediate effect 
of His preaching and of His miracles was rather 
limited to those benefited by His wisdom and 
charity. But, on the cross, Jesus was emphatically 
the universal Victim of humanity, for He was suffer- 
ing and dying for all men. He was then, in a most 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 43 1 



eminent degree, the Son of man. Jesus on the 
cross ceased, as it were, to be the individual Son of 
Mary, that He might become the Redeemer of 
mankind. As in His incarnation the Son of God 
had not assumed a human personality, but the 
human nature; so it was in this human nature that 
Jesus suffered and died for mankind. Hence, as 
David in his single combat with Goliath represented 
the whole Jewish nation, as Adam had in his person 
the entire human race, so our divine Lord and 
Redeemer on the cross was, in an incomparably 
more perfect way, the true Son of man, the real 
representative of mankind. We must therefore 
conclude that, in addressing to our blessed Lady 
these words, "Woman, behold thy son" He spoke 
not as an individual person, but in His character of 
universal Redeemer and representative of the 
human race ; in short, not as the Son of Mary, but 
as the Son of man. For this motive and for this end 
Jesus' infinite wisdom could not have selected a 
more proper and expressive word than what He 
used: "Woman, behold thy son!' As Eve was natu- 
rally the mother of all mankind, so most holy 
Mary, at the foot of the cross, was made the super- 
natural mother of all the faithful. But, as they 
were all to be born in sin, so to obtain and merit 
for them the grace of regeneration, this Virgin 
Mother had to associate herself with the sufferings 
and agony of her crucified Son. St. John Dama- 
scene sa}^s : " All the pains of childbirth which this 
Virgin Mother avoided in the birth of Jesus, she 
had to endure a thousand times multiplied in num- 
ber and intensity at the foot of the cross, where 
she became the Mother of all the faithful. " (S. Joan. 
Damasc, lib. iv, chap. 15.) Hence, we must con- 
clude that this most holy Mother on Mount Calvary 
had to endure not one, but as many martyrdoms as 
children were from eternity predestined to be born 
to Jesus Christ. For Mary is the Mother of all believ- 
ers. In these sublime words of mercy and charity, 



432 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



" Woman i behold thy son," Jesus Christ, dear reader, 
pointed to you, and to me, and to all our fellow- 
Christians, as He did to His beloved disciple. We 
all became the children of Mary. Shall we not 
love this Mother? Can we read these truths and 
feel no compassion for her sorrow ? 

IV. But we have one more thought to develop. 
Between the word of God and the word of man, 
there is the same difference which exists between 
their nature. Man is nothing, God is all. Man is 
weakness, God is omnipotence. The voice of man 
is an empty sound, — Vox et prceterea nihil. But the 
word of God is power. It always effects what it 
announces, and executes what it commands. "For 
the Word of God is living and effectual" St. Paul says. 
(Heb., iv, 12.) This vast universe is the realiza- 
tion of a single monosyllable pronounced by God. 
It is the actualization of an omnipotent Fiat, 
" let it be done," and it was done. God said : "Be 
light made ; and light was made." (Gen., i, 3.) God 
did the same with all creatures. "For he spoke, 
and they were made ; he commanded, and they were 
created." (Ps. xxxii, 9.) 

Reflect here, that God speaks through His co- 
eternal Word, who is His divine Son. The Word 
of God is the Son of God, through whom all things 
are made. "All things were made by him" St. John 
says, "and zvithout him was made nothing, that was 
made." (John, i, 3.) 

Now, Jesus Christ is the person of the divine 
Word, through whom God speaks and acts. That 
anything may be accomplished, it is sufficient for 
our Lord Jesus Christ to command, that it should 
be done. He commanded the wind and the storm, 
and a peaceful calm ensued on the lake of Genes- 
areth. He commanded the leper to be cleansed, 
and he was instantly cured ; He commanded the 
blind to see, the lame to walk, the sick to be re- 
stored to health, the dead to live, and nature 
promptly obeyed His divine voice. 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross, 



433 



Consider now what the living and effective voice 
of Jesus says from the cross to His Mother : 
"Woman, behold thy son*" These words actually 
made blessed Mary the Mother of all Christians, as 
truly as Jesus her Son is our Brother, and as God 
is our Father, by adoption. Through the grace of 
baptism, we become as truly the children of Mary, 
as we become the children of God and the brothers 
of Jesus. Mary, then, is our mother. As all pa- 
ternity is derived in heaven and upon earth from 
God the Father ; so all Christian maternity is de- 
rived from blessed Mary at the foot of the cross. 
In constituting her our Mother, Jesus communi- 
cated to her maternal heart the most ardent love, 
the most tender affection for all Christians. Mary 
loves us in proportion as she loves her Son Jesus. 
She loves us more than she loves the temporal life 
of her only begotten Son. She gave her full con- 
sent to Him to sacrifice His life upon the cross to 
procure our eternal salvation. Mary loves us in Jesus 
as the mystical members of His bodj~. Mary loves 
us with Jesus, because He is our head, because He 
loves us, because we are the price of His blood, 
and the ransom of His death. Mary loves us for 
Jesus' sake, because He made her our Mother, and 
wished that she should love us. She loves us for 
Him, because we shall form in heaven His court, 
His crown, His glory, and the everlasting joy of 
His sacred heart. O Mary, most holy, most 
loving, most sorrowful Mother! my poor heart is 
agitated by different sentiments towards you. In 
contemplating your maternal grief at the foot of the 
cross, I am deeply moved with compassion for your ; 
extreme sufferings. In the words addressed to you 
by your agonizing Son, I see with you the painful 
indication of His approaching death. You will soon 
lose the beloved Child of your virginal heart. 
Most afflicted Mother ! I do most sincerely compas- 
sionate )'Ou. But, as your dying Son by His last 
will has left me in His place as your adopted child, 

19 



434 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



I feel that my unworthiness will aggravate your 
sorrow. Remember, however, dearest of mothers, 
that the choice has been made by your crucified 
Son. I could not have dared to aspire to so high a 
privilege, to such an unmerited honor. Behold, 
then, most loving Mother of Jesus ! behold in my 
unworthiness a new proof of your divine Son's in- 
finite condescension, mercy, and goodness. Accept 
me as I am, and make me what I ought to be. 
Make me a worthy brother of Jesus, and a son 
according to your most holy heart. Inflame me 
with love for Jesus, and your Son Jesus will teach 
me how to love, venerate, praise and honor the 
purest of virgins, the most loving of mothers, the 
most valiant of women, the queen of martyrs, the 
universal mother of Christianity, the glory of our 
holy religion, the joy of heaven and earth 



Third Point. 

"After that, Jesus saith to the disciple : Behold thy 
mother." Let us consider this new mystery of love 
so honorable to divine Jesus, to blessed Mary, and 
to us, miserable exiles of the earth. 

I. Observe here with what calm wisdom our 
crucified Saviour acts during His extreme suffer- 
ings. In the prudence of His divine charity, He 
provides first for the wants of souls. Poor sinners 
are the most needy persons upon earth. Jesus 
became man to save them. He was suffering on 
the cross for their salvation. But they could not 
be saved unless they obtained pardon for all their 
sins. Hence, His first word and first prayer upon 
the cross is directed to this necessary end. 

"Father, forgive them, for they know not zvhat 
they do!' In consequence, and as an accomplishment 
of this prayer of mercy, Jesus grants pardon and 
promises eternal salvation to the repenting thief : 
ia This day thou shalt be with me in paradise." Having 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 435 



attended to the principal object of His incarnation, 
our Lord now fulfils the first duty of a loving Son. 
His mother is now well advanced in age, being 
about fifty years old. She is poor in earthly goods, 
though a lineal descendant from the royal house 
of David. Her holy husband, Joseph, is dead ; 
Jesus, her only child, is dying. Mary, within the 
short space of an hour, will be left a childless widow 
without any human means of support. Jesus on 
the cross is considering all this. In His filial love, 
He desires to provide for the decent comfort of 
His most worthy Mother. He consults the disposi- 
tions of her soul. Mary loves retirement, recollec^ 
tion and piety. Mary loves John on account of 
his great esteem for virginal purity, and for his 
devotion and fidelity to her and to her beloved Son 
Jesus. John is the only man among the disciples 
and apostles of her Son, who has accompanied her 
to Mount Calvary, and who remains her inseparable 
companion at the foot of the cross. During this 
severe trial John has given evident practical proofs 
of the solidity of his virtue, and of his manly 
courage. On what more worthy person could 
Jesus confer the high honor of being substituted 
in His place as the adopted son of His most holy 
and most beloved Mother? With whom, asks St. 
Ambrose, could the Virgin of virgins live more 
properly, with the honor due to her dignity and 
sanctity, than with the virgin disciple, made by will 
the heir of her Son, because by virtue he was found 
to be the strictest observer of virginal modesty and 
decorum ? (St. Ambros. de Inst. Virgin, c. vii.) It 
was to John that Jesus intrusted the care of His 
most holy Mother. Hence, He saith to His disciple : 
u Behold thy mother" 

II. Consider here again the wise order of the third 
sentence of our crucified Lord. Out of respect 
for the dignity of His Mother, He speaks to her 
first, He consults her wishes, He offers to her His 
most beloved disciple for her adoption, He awaits 



43 6 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



for her free and willing consent: "Woman, behold 
thy son." The proposal of Jesus having been readily 
accepted by His most holy Mother, He turns to 
John, and says to him, "Behold thy mother." This 
humble and faithful disciple, now made the happy 
son of blessed Mary, delicately remarked this order 
in the following expression : "After that he" (Jesus) 
saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother." Oh! 
yes, all is calm wisdom, all is order with divine 
Jesus upon the cross. Behold I Jesus saith to His 
disciple. Consider, John, the treasure which in my 
dying moments I, thy Lord and Master, intrust to 
thy care. Behold! Mary is a golden vessel filled 
with all the supernatural riches of grace and virtue. 
She is the holiest person I have on earth and in 
heaven. Behold! I substitute thee in my place. 
Reflect on the greatness of my confidence in thee. 
The highest archangel in heaven would consider 
himself exceedingly honored by such a choice. 
Behold! thou art constituted my Mother's son. 
She accepts thee for my sake. She loves thee with 
the love she has for me. Thou art her son. She is 
thy mother. Behold thy mother ! Consider, my dis- 
ciple, the sacrifice which the exchange costs the 
most tender, most loving heart of my mother. In 
the generosity of her soul, she consents to exchange 
me for thee, — me, the true Son of God, for thee, a 
mere man. She accepts for my sake the disciple 
instead of the master ; an adopted child instead of 
me, her true Son ; a mortal man instead of an eternal 
God. " Behold thy mother. " 

I have made thee her son. I communicate to thy 
virginal heart a large share of my love and respect 
for the dearest of mothers. O my disciple ! love 
thy mother, love her for my sake, respect her sub- 
lime dignity, honor her sanctity, imitate her virtues, 
comfort her in her afflictions, provide, with the 
affectionate diligence of a son, for all her temporal 
wants. She is easily satisfied with little. But she 
will appreciate thy loving care. She will return 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 



437 



a thousand-fold all thy kindness. She will counsel 
thee with her wisdom, edify thee with her example, 
strengthen thee with her courage, reward thee with 
her maternal affection, make thee like unto me dur- 
ing life, that thou mayest be nearer to her and to me 
in the kingdom of my glory and bliss during all 
eternity. " Behold thy mother'' 

III. In this great example of filial love, our divine 
Master, from the chair of the cross, gives to all 
children a most striking lesson of the love and re- 
spect they should have for their parents. "Children," 
St. Augustine says, " children ! look at your Saviour 
on the cross. That cross, to which His sacred 
limbs are nailed, is become for you the best school 
of Christian morality. This excellent Master 
instructs you by His words, and still more by His 
example. By the care with which He provides for 
His mother, Jesus teaches you what you should do 
for your parents. " "It is your duty, " St. Cyril 
adds, "to learn from your divine Master to provide 
with affectionate diligence for all the wants, corporal 
and spiritual, of your parents, when in need of your 
assistance, and to console them with filial tenderness 
in all their afflictions.' ' (A Lapide, Comment, in 
Joan., xix, 26.) 

If you, children, have any respect for the words 
and example of your divine Master on the cross ;if 
you have any love and compassion for His afflicted 
Mother standing by the side of her agonizing Son, 
your Saviour, resolve whilst you peruse these touch- 
ing words, "Behold thy mother"— resolve to imitate 
Him in your future conduct towards your parents. 

Fourth Point. 

L "Behold thy mother'' St. John fully under- 
stood the meaning of these dying words of his cruci- 
fied Master. They penetrated deeply in his heart. 
On hearing them, St. Augustine says, both he and 



438 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

our afflicted Lady burst into sobs and tears which 
through the excess of their grief, continued as long 
as they remained at the foot of the cross of Jesus. 
Overwhelmed by sorrow, these two martyrs of 
charity were unable to speak. They listened with 
devout eagerness to every word of Jesus, which, 
like invisible swords, penetrated the heart of these 
two virgin souls. This grief was both the effect and 
the bond of their love. They were united in their 
love for Jesus, they were united in reciprocal char- 
ity. From that moment most holy Mary loved 
John as her adopted child, John loved and cherished 
Mary as the best of mothers. "And from that 
hour the disciple took her to his own." (John, xix, 
27.) After the burial of our Lord, St. John took 
with him his new beloved mother. He had no 
home to offer her, St. Augustine says, but in his 
affectionate care he provided for her to the best of 
his power. When his apostolic see was fixed in the 
city of Ephesus, in Asia Minor, John took with him 
the most cherished Mother of his divine Master. 
This fact is mentioned, in the acts of the first general 
council of Ephesus, as the greatest glory of that 
ancient city. To the end of her most holy life, St. 
John treated his adopted mother with the most 
profound devotion and veneration. "He took her to 
his own" 

II. Devout reader, as in the person of Adam all 
humanity was contained and represented in the 
Garden of Eden, so, in the person of the beloved 
disciple, all believers in Christianity, all true disciples 
of Jesus were contained and represented on Calvary. 
When Jesus saith to the disciple, "Behold thy 
mother, " He constituted this august Lady the in- 
dividual mother of all Christians and of each be- 
liever in particular. This is the faith of the Church, 
this is the universal doctrine of the Fathers. Let 
the devout, the sweet St. Bernard speak for all. 

" As Eve," he says, " became by her fall, and by 
tempting her husband Adam, a sharp thorn, which 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 439 



pricked him every day to the end of his long life, and 
after him she will continue to afflict with the sting of 
sin all their posterity to the end of time ; so blessed 
Mary at the foot of the cross, sprinkled with the 
blood of Jesus, became a most fragrant rose of 
charity. Eve is a thorn that wounds, Mary is a 
rose that heals. Eve stings to death, Mary restores 
life and health to all Christians." (St. Bernard, Serm. 
de Beata Maria.) " From thy mouth, O Virgin 
Mother ! the afflicted receive consolation, the cap- 
tive redemption, the sinner pardon, and all the 
children of Adam obtain salvation." (Serm. ii, in 
Die Pentecost.) 

Again St. Bernard says : " The whole universe 
looks up to the Blessed Virgin Mary as to the source 
of hope and joy. The angels and saints of heaven 
expect through her intercession to see all the vacant 
thrones, forfeited by the rebellious angels, reoccu- 
pied by her devout clients. The suffering souls in 
purgatory turn to her maternal compassion for their 
speedy deliverance from their fiery dungeon. The 
patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament were 
expecting her arrival as the condition necessary for 
their happiness. Those who live at the present time 
hope in Mary for their salvation, and all future gen- 
erations shall be glorified that will call her Blessed. 
From all eternity, in the secret cabinet of the august 
Trinity, it has been decreed that through Mary the 
angels should receive joy, the just grace, and all 
sinners pardon. Yes, most gracious Virgin, the 
eyes of all creatures are turned to thee, because in 
thee, through thee, and from thee, all that the omni- 
potent hand of God has created, it has also restored 99 
— "Merito in te respiciunt oculi totius creatures, quia 
in te, et per te, et de te, benigna mantis Omnipotentis, 
quidquid creavit, recreavit" (St. Bernard, Serm. ii, 
in the Feast of Pentecost.) 

Blessed Mary then being made our Mother at the 
foot of the cross by the will of our divine Saviour, 
we cannot be His true disciples, if we do not cor- 



440 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



respond with the dying expectations of His loving 
heart. We will then love Mary, because she is our 
Mother. We will compassionate her in her sorrows, 
because our sins have been the cause of her Son's 
death. We will honor Mary as the Mother of Jesus. 
With Jesus and Mary deeply impressed on our 
heart, we will pass the few remaining years of our 
exile in this vale of tears, that with Jesus and Mary 
we may be happy for all eternity in heaven. 



Prayer. 

Divine Jesus, most loving Son of Mary ! kneeling 
in spirit at the foot of the cross on Mount Calvary 
in company with the devout women, St. John, thy 
beloved disciple, and with Thy most holy Mother, 
I desire to join with them in a double prayer of 
thanksgiving. We thank Thee first, most holy Son 
of Mary, for Thy filial love towards Thy most de- 
serving and most afflicted Mother, in securing to 
her for life the love and care of Thy best-beloved 
disciple, John. Thou well knowest that he will 
ever be Thy worthy substitute. He will love his 
adopted Mother with all the ardor of his virginal 
heart. He will honor her as the Mother of his 
divine Master, as the living ark of the law of grace. 

O sweet Jesus ! we will all love and honor her 
as Thy immaculate Mother. We will value and 
cherish her as the most precious legacy Thou hast in 
Thy divine generosity bequeathed to us from Thy 
cross. After the sacrament of Thy divine body 
and blood, Mary is the most valuable gift Thou 
hast left us, poor children of Eve. Thou hast con- 
stituted her our Mother. Thou hast infused in her 
heart a most tender maternal affection for us all. It 
is for this unexpected token of Thy dying love that 
we wish, at the foot of the cross, to thank Thee 
also before Thy death with all the sincerity, with all 
the fervor, with all the tenderness of our grateful 



Christ's Third Word on the Cross. 441 

hearts. We thank Thee, divine Jesus ! we thank 
Thee, crucified Saviour! We wish to thank Thee 
with the tongues of all men, with the hearts of all 
angels. Would we had as many tongues as there 
are green leaves on all the trees of the earth in sum- 
mer, that with each one we might sing a hymn of 
thanksgiving lasting to the end of time, and reecho- 
ing without ceasing, during all blessed eternity. 

Deign, however, most loving Lord and Saviour, 
to accept the good -will for the deed, and supply in 
Thy goodness what is impossible to our weakness. 
Infuse in our hearts, as Thou hast done to the heart 
of Thy beloved disciple, a strong love, a manly 
affection, a generous devotion for Thy most holy 
Mother Mary. We claim this grace from Thee as 
our right, because Thou hast made her our Mother 
by saying : "Behold thy mother." 

Mother! dearest Mother Mary! we are thy chil- 
dren. Thy divine Son from the cross has made us 
thine. Thou hast heard His dying words from His 
lips when He said: "Woman, behold thy son!' In 
spite of our unworthiness thou hast for His sake ac- 
cepted us as thy children in the place of thy dying 
Son Jesus. We do most sincerely thank thy mater- 
nal heart. We compassionate thee in thy sorrow, 
occasioned by the sufferings, humiliations, and agony 
of thy divine Son. In this thy sorrow, we have a 
pledge of thy maternal love. The more thou hast 
suffered for us, most holy Mother, the dearer we 
must be to thy maternal heart. Thy maternity for 
us began at the foot of the cross of thy agonizing 
Son. We were generated in thy heart by His 
dying voice. We beseech thee for His sake to accept 
us for thy children. Protect us from all danger, 
defend us from the attacks of the infernal serpent, 
preserve us from sin, infuse in our hearts an ardent 
love for thy Son Jesus, a tender devotion to the 
mystery of His sacred passion, and assist us in 
death. Remember that we are thy children : "Behold 
thy Son. 99 



442 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXVII. CONSIDERATION. 



FOURTH WORD OF JESUS ON THE CROSS : " ABOUT 
THE NINTH HOUR, JESUS CRIED WITH A 
LOUD VOICE, SAYING: MY GOD, MY 
GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN 

me?" (Matt,, xxvii, 46.) 

I. In the first three words of our crucified Saviour 
we found Him a perfect model of good example — 
"Exemplum enim dedi vobis." He has given us an 
example of devotion, obedience, and love to His 
heavenly Father, and of merciful compassion for 
sinners, when He said : "Father, forgive them, for 
they know not what they do." He gave us an ex- 
ample of zealous charity in the conversion, sancti- 
fication, and salvation of the good thief on the cross, 
when He said to him : "Amen, amen, I say to thee, 
this day thou shalt be with me in paradise'' Finally, 
Jesus crucified has given us a bright example of 
filial love and respect for His afflicted Mother, when, 
at the point of death, by His last will He secured 
for her a devoted son in the person of His beloved 
disciple John, saying to her, "Behold thy son" He 
also gave a memorable example of noble generosity 
to all superiors and masters, teaching them to re- 
ward the fidelity and virtue of their subjects and 
servants, not only during their life, but also at their 
o wn death. Jesus in His last agony bequeathed to 
His beloved disciple the richest treasure He had 
upon earth, by giving him His own most holy 
mother : " Behold thy mother." 

Moreover, in the person of the disciple, all 
true believers have received from Jesus the same 
precious pledge of His love, by making us the 
adopted children of His most loving Mother: 
"Behold thy son ; behold thy mother." Jesus on the 



Chris fs Fourth Word on the Cross. 443 



cross, then, is a most perfect model of all virtues. 
Hence St. Peter says : u Christ suffered for us, leaving 
you an example, that you should follozv his footsteps." 
(1 Peter, ii, 21.) 

With reason St. Augustine remarked that the 
wood of the cross, to which His sacred limbs were 
nailed, was made by Jesus the chair of Christian 
virtues. So far, our Lord upon the cross appears 
as our best teacher and model. We must now pass 
to consider Him as our Saviour and Redeemer. 
We will learn how completely He has satisfied 
divine justice, atoned for our sins, and secured for 
us an abundant redemption: u Copiosa apud Deum 
redemption 



First Point. 

"About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, 
saying: My God, my God, why hast thou abandoned me." 

When a person speaks loud, he evidently desires 
to be heard. Any wise speaker, who is anxious to 
have his words well heard by a large multitude of 
people, must have some important doctrine to com- 
municate. This is more particularly the case, when 
the speaker is at the point of death, and his voice 
will never more be heard by men. Jesus on the 
cross is incarnate Wisdom. In His last agony He 
speaks with a loud voice. He most certainly 
desires to be heard by all Christians, by all man- 
kind, because He communicates the most profound 
mysteries, He announces the most necessary 
doctrines. 

I. This loud voice is a mystery, and reveals a 
mystery. An ordinary man brought to his lasl 
agony by a multiplicity of most excruciating suffer- 
ings, and by the loss of His whole blood, cannot 
naturally speak with a loud voice. Jesus, therefore, 
is more than an ordinary man; He is both God and 
man. This is the first mystery which Jesus in His 



444 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



agony on the cross announces to the world by His 
loud cry. During this and the next three words, 
we should always reflect that Jesus speaks and acts 
as our Redeemer. The Redeemer of mankind must 
be a God-man. Were He not a true man, He could 
not suffer, and, consequently, He could not atone 
for our sins. Were He not God, all His sufferings 
could not have the necessary value, merit, and 
efficacy, to save a sinful world. St. Augustine says : 
" Such was the nature of Adam's sin, that only a 
man could have to suffer for it, but only a divine 
person could atone for it." 

Therefore, as our Saviour's humanity is necessary 
for the atonement of our sins, so His divinitv was 
essential for the salvation of the sinner. This is no 
less true of actual than of original sin. Jesus Christ, 
therefore, must be a God-man. This is the mystery 
announced by His loud cry from the cross. 

The divine and human nature must be united in 
the person of the eternal Word. They are insepa- 
rably united, because the Word is made flesh. 
" Verb um caro factum est." (John, i, 14.) These 
two natures must be united, but not confused. The 
human nature does not and cannot limit or cramp 
the divine nature. Divine nature in Jesus does not 
absorb His human nature, does not in the least over- 
awe or oppress her faculties, does not bind her free 
will, or paralyze her actions. Both natures are 
most perfectly united in the person of Jesus Christ 
but both are perfectly free. This is an essential and 
fundamental dogma of Christianity. The contrary 
proposition has often been condemned and anathe- 
matized by the Catholic Church as an abominable 
heresy. This impious heresy is condemned by the 
loud cry of our agonizing Saviour on the cross. 

II. We will conceive a clearer idea of this pro- 
found mystery, if, in the person of Jesus Christ, we 
carefully distinguish three things : 1st. His divine 
will. 2d. His human will. 3d. His sensitive appetites. 
The divine will of our blessed Lord presides over, 



Christ's Fourth Word on the Cross, 



445 



resides in, and directs the superior powers of His 
human soul. His human reason and will are in every- 
thing perfectly obedient to the divine will. The 
inferior powers of His soul, or rather His sensitive 
appetites, are entirely subject and obedient to His 
human reason, as this is docile to His divine will. 
But, with all this subjection, they feel every kind of 
pain, they naturally dread suffering, they shrink 
from affronts and humiliations, they abhor death. 
The dread and abhorrence of suffering and death by 
the sensitive appetites of our divine Lord, is pro- 
portioned to the loss which they have to endure by 
His death. 

III. I confess, Christian reader, that these sublime 
doctrines are above the capacity of ordinary minds. 
Yet, they are essential to the right understanding of 
the profound mystery of the passion. Above all, 
they are necessary to the comprehension of the most 
sublime of all mysteries, the dereliction of our bless- 
ed Saviour upon the cross. From a shadow that 
preceded it, let us try to obtain some illustration. 

In the first chapter of Genesis we read that, at the 
creation of this world, the earth which we inhabit, 
was wholly encompassed by a vast mass of water. 
It was like a rock suspended by the omnipotent hand 
of God in the bosom of the ocean. Water was 
above it, beneath it, and on every side. Ordinary 
plants and trees could not be produced. Terres- 
trial animals, and much less man, could not live on it. 
But, when God had determined to create man, 
He raised and suspended the largest portion of 
these waters in the heavens. Through this divine 
operation, the earth emerged dry above the remain- 
ing portion of the water left behind, which we now 
behold in the oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers. Thus, 
in the present condition of the earth, herbs, plants, 
and trees can vegetate, thrive, and grow in the soil. 
Millions of men inhabit it and are daily enriched by 
its various and valuable productions. Material 
man enjoys all these earthly advantages and never 



446 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



raises his mind and heart to God ; but pious Chris- 
tians should not imitate his conduct. Let us reflect 
that the whole material creation is the shadow of 
the Divinity ; and this earth is the most striking 
and most expressive figure of the incarnation, life, 
passion, and death of the eternal Son of God. 

In the first union of the divine person of the eter- 
nal Word to the humanity which He assumed in 
the virginal womb of Mary Immaculate, His human 
soul and body were thoroughly invested, and like a 
sponge wholly pervaded, or, rather, overwhelmed 
and happily drowned in the immense ocean of the 
Divinity. It became, therefore, necessary to sus- 
pend this overwhelming ocean of the Divinity in 
the heaven of the superior powers of the soul of 
Jesus, enabling them to contemplate the Divine 
Essence, to enjoy the beatific visidn, and the sweet 
and ravishing happiness of the hypostatic union. 
But, like the earth, the inferior powers of the soul, 
or her sensitive appetites, were left dry , and ex- 
posed to heat and cold, to hunger and thirst, to 
storm and tempests, to calumnies and affronts, to 
privations and sufferings of every kind, as we poor 
mortal men are. 

Moreover, from several parts of the Holy Scripture 
we learn that, at the end of time, all the present waters 
of the ocean, seas, lakes, and rivers will be dried up 
by the command and power of that omnipotent will 
which once created them. We learn, besides, that a 
miraculous fire will come down from heaven, that 
numerous volcanoes will burst forth from the fiery 
bowels of the earth, which, together with the fire 
from heaven, will envelop in flames the whole earth, 
and produce the most universal and destructive 
conflagration. This is, devout reader, a most sub- 
lime and magnificent figure, which has already been 
accomplished in the person of our crucified Saviour. 
Bear with me, if with illustrations and figures I 
attempt, to the best of my ability, to explain, or 
rather elucidate, a mystery. This mystery is very 



Christ's Fourth Word on the Cross. 



447 



important for us, if we wish to appreciate the 
agony and awful dereliction of our dear Lord 
upon the cross. 

From the beginning of our Saviour's passion in 
the Garden of Gethsemani, God began to withdraw 
His sensible presence from His soul, and reduced 
His spirit to a condition of the most painful aridity, 
which forced from our Lord's lips this complaint : 
" My sold is sorrowful even unto death." But if, at the 
very commencement of this spiritual desolation, 
the soul of our dear Saviour felt so keenly this 
sensible privation, that He was cast into an agony 
of grief which forced a bloody sweat from every 
pore of His sacred body, what must He feel now, in 
His extreme bodily sufferings on the cross, when 
this spiritual dereliction is total and complete ? 
What wonder, if in the agonizing martyrdom of 
His divine soul, we hear our crucified Saviour cry 
out in a loud voice. "My God, my God ! why hast 
thou forsaken me? " 



448 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



\ 

Second Point. 

Consider now the nature and extent of this dere- 
liction. It was a horrible blasphemy of the arch- 
heretic Calvin, when he said that this loud cry of 
our divine Lord upon the cross was a clamor of 
despair, because He had been abandoned by the 
Divinity. Jesus could not be abandoned by the 
Divinity, because He was God. His soul and 
body were inseparably united to the divine person 
of the eternal Word. He had not committed, 
and could not commit, any sin to deserve this 
abandonment. Had Jesus despaired, He would 
have been guilty of a most grievous sin against 
God ; and thus, instead of pacifying, He would have 
highly irritated the divine justice, and rendered use- 
less the work of our redemption. This horrible 
impiety and blasphemy could be uttered only by a 
reprobate. Moreover, how could even the impious 
Calvin say that our divine Saviour on the cross 
despaired of divine mercy, when a few moments 
after, immediately before His death, He most de- 
voutly pronounced these words of perfect love and 
confidence, "Father, into thy hands I recommend my 
spirit" ? (Luke, xxiii, 46.) 

Let us then keep far away from our mind the 
very shadow of the thought that Jesus on the cross 
could ever be abandoned by the Divinity, by the 
hypostatic union, or by the grace, love, and friend- 
ship of God. It is, however, too true that our 
blessed . Lord suffered a most painful dereliction. 
This was in three different ways. 

I. Theophilatus affirms that some Christian 
authors are of opinion that our divine Saviour 
on the cross expressed to His heavenly Father 
the great anguish of His soul, when He perceived 
that the malice and obstinacy of the Jews would 
force the justice of God to abandon them. They 
had been His chosen people. He had lavished upon 



Christ's Four tli Word on the Cross. 



449 



them His favors. They were His relations ac- 
cording- to the flesh, as St. Paul says: "The words 
of God were committed to them." (Rom., iii, 2.) 
He had taken His body from the most holy Virgin 
of Nazareth. He was born and brought up among 
them. He preached to them, He wrought all His 
miracles among them, and for their conversion. He 
had selected both His Mother and His apostles from 
the Jewish nation, He was dying for their conversion 
and salvation. But, alas ! their inveterate malice, 
their stubborn obstinacy, obliged God to abandon 
them. His loving heart was overwhelmed with 
grief. Hence He cried out in anguish : "My God, 
my God, why hast thou abandoned me" by abandon- 
ing my people ? 

II. Origen assigns a second cause of our Saviour's 
loud cry. This proceeded from the clear foresight 
which He upon the cross had of the comparatively 
small number of men who would consent to em- 
brace His faith ; of the large number of heretics who 
would separate themselves from His mystical body, 
the Church ; of the vast number of bad Christians 
who would neglect the practice of His holy relig- 
ion, and abuse the graces and the means of salvation 
so lavishly bestowed upon them. All this ingrati- 
tude of men for the immense benefit of His 
redemption, which He was accomplishing with so 
much suffering on the cross, revealed to His soul 
the great number of reprobates, who, in spite of 
His love, would be lost for all eternity. Ah ! what 
wonder that His loving heart, breaking with grief, 
should exclaim : "My God, my God, why hast thou 
abandoned me ? ' ' 

III. But this moving cry of anguish has a more 
immediate relation to Himself. This can and 
should be understood in two ways, namely : of His 
external abandonment, and of His internal dereliction. 

1st. Jesus on the cross suffers an universal 
abandonment of every thing that could afford Him 
any external comfort and consolation. Devout 



450 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



reader, you can now judge for yourself. Look up 
to your agonizing Saviour upon the cross, and see 
if you are able to discover the least comfort in His 
extreme sufferings. His bed is the hard, rough 
wood of the cross. Ah ! the idea of a bed conveys 
the thought of some kind of rest. But the cross 
excludes the possibility of lying at ease. The 
cross is the most infamous and the most painful 
instrument of torture. No bed for Jesus in His 
agony ! Only a cross is given to Him by the malice 
and cruelty of men. His pillow is a crown of sharp 
thorns which torment His adorable head. His 
hands and feet in His agony of pain are not soothed 
by the kind and gentle hands of a mother, or of 
loving relations and friends. Oh, no ! they are 
pierced by long and hard nails. His mouth is 
parched with thirst, He piteously begs for a drop 
of water, and the malice of His enemies imbitters 
His palate with vinegar and gall. His disciples 
and apostles have abandoned Him. His Mother, 
two pious women, and John are at the foot of the 
cross. But their sobs and tears, and especially His 
Mother's anguish, increase the grief of His loving 
heart. Jesus raised upon the cross sees before Him 
a crowd of sneering and blaspheming wretches, 
who, with their actions and with their tongues, 
aggravate His external sufferings. His very gar- 
ments are stolen away from Him before His eyes. 
The sun of heaven denies Him the warmth and the 
light, which affords such comfort to a wounded 
soldier on the battle-field. But for the Creator of 
the world wounded and bleeding on the cross, 
whilst darkness oppresses His material sight, so a 
keen, cold, damp air irritates the gaping wounds 
of His body, and intensifies the agony of His pain. 
The external abandonment of Jesus on the cross is 
indeed complete. Hence with justice He can say: 
"My God, my God, why hast thou abandoned me?" 

2d. But this is only the gloomy shadow of His more 
awful internal dereliction. The soul of Jesus afflicted 



Christ's Fourth Word on the Cross. 



451 



by so many and such cruel physical sufferings, 
deprived of every earthly comfort, abandoned by all 
creatures, except by those that torment her, naturally 
turns to God for consolation. But because Jesus had 
voluntarily assumed to satisfy divine justice for all 
the sins of mankind, and thus deliver sinners from 
the eternal punishment of hell, so His humanity is 
obliged by God to endure a large share of these 
frightful torments of the reprobates. Hence the 
Divinity withdraws every sensible comfort from 
the inferior powers of the soul. The soul of Jesus 
is left completely submerged in an ocean of bitter- 
ness, like a sinking ship swept all over by foamy 
mountains of angry billows during a most fearful 
gale. "I am come]' Jesus says, "/ am come into the 
depth of the sea : and a tempest hath overwhelmed 
me." Both his body and soul are plunged in this 
stormy ocean, swallowing large draughts of its 
bitter waters. He feels drowning. He raises His 
voice, and cries aloud : "Save me, O God : for the 
waters are come in even unto my soul." (Ps. lxviii, I.) 
" Let not the tempest of ivater drown me, nor the deep 
sivallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon 
me. Hear me, O Lord, for thy mercy is kind . . . turn 
not away thy face from thy son, for I am in trouble, 
hear me speedily. Attend to my soul and deliver it: 
save me because of my enemies. Thou know est my re- 
proach, and my confusion, and my shame. In thy 
sight are all those who afflict me. I looked for one 
that zvould grieve together with me, but there was 
none ; and for one that would comfort me, and I found 
none" (Ibid.) But no help, no comfort comes from 
heaven. Jesus is entirely abandoned in this terrible 
struggle with death. " The sorrows of death" He 
says, "surrounded me, and the torrents of iniquity 
troubled me. The sorrows of hell encompassed me, 
and the snares of death prevented me. In my affliction 
I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God." (Ps, 
xvii, 5-7.) "My God, my God, why hast thou aban- 
doned me ? " 



45 2 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Third Point. 

Consider the intensity of our Saviour's dereliction 
upon the cross. 

I. "The sorrows of death surrounded ?ne" The 
anguish caused in the soul of Jesus by this awful 
dereliction, is, be} 7 ond comparison, more painful to 
Him than the agony of death. Death separates 
only the soul from the body. But this dereliction ! 
was, not in its reality, but in its effect, equivalent 
to the separation of the divinity from the inferior 
powers of the soul. The soul of Jesus was made 
to feel actually the same terrible anguish, which a 
real separation would have produced, This ap- 
pears very evident from His words, "My God, my 
God, why hast thou abandoned me ? " Had not Jesus 
experienced the effect of this abandonment, how 
could He have uttered with truth these moving 
words? How could He have cried with a loud 
voice, if this loud cry did not proceed from the 
depth and intensity of His affliction ? " In my afflic- 
tion" He sa)^s, "I called upon the Lord" and "I cried 
to my God." Jesus is essential and infallible truth. If 
it be true that He and the Father are one, and con- 
sequently that a real separation of the divinity 
could not take place ; yet it is equally true that 
Jesus on the cross felt all the agony of this separa- 
tion, as if it had really been effected. "My God, my 
God, why hast thou abandoned me ? " 

II. " The torrents of iniquity troubled me." This is 
the answer which Jesus gives to His own question. 
His most painful dereliction is a necessary punish- 
ment for our sins. The eternal Father abandons 
His divine Son for a short time, in order to save 
sinners for eternity. Reflect that Jesus on the cross 
is the victim of our sins. In every mortal sin there 
is a double malice. The first and the worst is a 
real and total separation of the sinners soul from 
God. Aversio a Bono incommutabili, nempe Deo, est 



Christ's Fourth Word on the Cross. 453 

ratio formalis et completiva peccati. (S. Thom. ii, 2 
qusest. 162, art. b.) The second is a disorderly 
attachment of the sinner to a vile creature. This 
criminal attachment, hpwever, is the cause why man 
abandons God, Through His prophet Jeremiah, 
God expresses His bitter displeasure at this wicked 
conduct of His creatures. "Be astonished" he says, 
"be astonished, ye heavens, at this ; and ye gates thereof 
be very desolate, said the Lord. For my people have 
done two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain 
of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, 
broken cisterns, that can hold no water!' (Jer., ii, 
12.) In these words God compares Himself to a 
fountain of living water in a hot, dry country, and 
compares creatures to a broken and useless cistern. 
For the sake of this wretched creature the sinner 
abandons God, the only source and pure spring 
of every grace and happiness. Now an adequate 
atonement must be made to the offended majesty 
of God for this double affront. Whereas we attach 
ourselves to creatures for the gratification of our 
sensual appetites, so we have to atone for this dis- 
order through severe physical punishments. It 
is an unchangeable decree of divine justice, that 
"through what thi7igs a man sinneth, by the same 
also is he tormented." (Wisdom, xi, 17.) The greatest 
malice of our sins, however, consists in our abandon- 
ing God for the sake of an unworthy creature. 
It is already a great insult, offered to God, when 
we compare Him to any of His creatures ; but the 
sinner does worse. He prefers the creature to God. 
"They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, 
and they have digged to themselves broken cisterns." 
In short, mortal sin is an impious divorce, a total 
separation of the soul from God. In just punish- 
ment of this horrible crime, the sinner deserves to 
be forever abandoned by God. In mortal sin, then, 
there is a double malice : the abandonment of God, 
and the preference given to a creature for the grati- 
fication of our sinful passions. 



454 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Now take notice, dear reader, that these two 
evils are punished by God in two different ways. 
God abandons the reprobate in punishment of his 
desertion. This is called the, pain of loss. He pun- 
ishes the body as well as the soul with real physical 
sufferings : this is called the pain of sense. The final 
sentence of eternal condemnation pronounced by the 
divine Judge against the reprobates, expresses these 
two dreadful chastisements. "Depart from me" the 
divine Judge will say, "depart from me, ye cursed, into 
everlasting fire." (Matt., xxv, 41.) The first portion 
of the sentence, Depart from me, expresses the total 
abandonment of the reprobate by God. The word, 
fire, specifies the physical pain, or the pain of sense. 
The terrible word, everlasting, stamps the seal of eter- 
nal duration on these frightful torments. Behold 
here the just and adequate punishment of mortal sin. 

III. Let us now come to the application of these 
doctrines. Our merciful Saviour was most anxious 
to deliver us from these awful punishments justly 
deserved by our sins. He voluntarily became our 
surety with the justice of God. He bound Himself 
fully to atone for all the sins of mankind. God 
accepted the bond. Raise up your eyes, dear 
Christian, look above the head of our crucified 
Saviour, behold fastened at the top of the cross, 
"the handwriting of the decree, which zvas against us, 
which zvas contrary to us poor sinners." (Col., ii, 14.) 
Jesus is paying for it with His blood. The inex- 
orable justice of God looks upon this divine Victim 
of charity, as the public, the universal criminal, re- 
sponsible for the sins of the whole world. "All we, 
like sheep, have gone astray, every one hath turned 
aside into his own way ; and the Lord has laid on 
him the iniquity of us all." (Isa., liii, 6.) What 
wonder that, Jesus upon the cross appearing as the 
Victim responsible for all the sins of mankind, 
the justice of God exacts from Him the most com- 
plete satisfaction ! u The torrents of iniquity troubled 
me, the sorrows of hell encompassed me." 



Christ's Fourth Word on the Cross. 455 



Our agonizing Saviour upon the cross has through 
the horrible tortures inflicted upon the delicate 
limbs of His body, to endure the pain of sense, 
which the sinner should have to suffer in hell. 
Through the anguish of His most holy soul, caused 
by His dereliction, Jesus experiences the horror of 
the pain of loss, which the sinner should have to en 
dure in hell by the loss of God. " The sorrows of 
hell encompassed me." 

But the most terrible condition of hell's torments 
is the eternity of their duration. Jesus on the cross 
atones for this also. He atones for it by the uni- 
versality and by the extreme intensity of His suffer- 
ings both in His body and in His soul. " The sorrows 
of hell encompassed me." But all this was not 
sufficient. Mortal sin is an infinite offence against 
God. An infinite offence must endure an infinite 
punishment. Now this is what our crucified Lord 
is suffering upon the cross in His dereliction. On 
account of the hypostatic union, the person of God 
is suffering ; for Jesus is God and man. The suffer- 
ings of a God-man have an infinite value. It is this 
immense, this infinite value of the sufferings of 
Jesus, that equals and surpasses the eternity of tor- 
ments due to the sinner in hell. Hence our crucified 
Lord could say in strict truth : "The sorrows of hell 
encompassed me" 

IV. In conclusion, let us reflect that the more 
closely united we are, physically or morally, to any 
object, the more intense is the pang of separation. 
Now, the soul of Jesus is more intimately united 
with the Divinity, than she is united to His body. 
This great, this noble, this most holy soul loves the 
Divinity incomparably more than all the angels 
and saints together can ever possibly love God. 
Love is the bond of union. Love is life. Dur- 
ing more than thirty-three years the soul of Jesus 
has clung to the eternal Word with all the ardor 
of more than seraphic love. During every mo- 
ment of these thirty-three years the soul of Jesus 



456 Hie Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



has been most perfectly happy in this union of 
divine charity. But now upon the cross, when His 
body is in agony of sufferings, and the human soul 
of Jesus needs more than ever the help and comfort 
of the Divinity ; when the sorrows of death sur- 
round Him ; when the torrents of iniquity trouble 
Him ; when He is encompassed with the sorrows of 
hell, and in His affliction He calls upon the Lord, 
and cries to His God, our sins oppose an impene- 
trable barrier to His prayer, His cry of anguish is 
not heard. Jesus on the cross is punished as a 
public criminal, as an accursed malefactor. For, as 
St. Paul says: "Christ hath redeemed us from the 
curse of the law, being made a curse for us." (Gal., 
iii, 13.) Jesus on the cross is abandoned to calumny, 
to insult, to public infamy, to the universal execration 
of mankind, to agony, to death. All this, and much 
more, is revealed to us by this heartrending cry :. 
"My God, my God, zvhy hast thou abandoned me?" 
Dreadful mystery ! awful cry ! it will never be fully 
understood by men, except in eternity. But no ! 
not even eternity in heaven or hell will be able to 
give a full explanation of this loud cry of a dying 
God, and reveal to created intelligences the pro- 
found meaning of these awful words of our divine 
Saviour on the cross : "My God, my God, why hast 
thou abandoned me ? " 

Ah, sinner, sinner! Christian sinner! place thy- 
self in spirit between the cross of thy Saviour and 
thy grave ; between thy grave, and that hell of 
everlasting torment due to thy sins. O unhappy 
wretch ! death is thy punishment in time, hell is thy 
doom for eternity. Jesus alone can save thee. But, 
to save thee, He must feel in His person the agony 
of a sinner's death, and endure for a time in His 
most holy soul the dereliction due to thy eternal 
condemnation. " Thy Lord," St. Cyprian says, " thy 
Lord is abandoned, to save thee from everlasting 
damnation ; thy Lord is abandoned, to free thee 
from thy sins and from eternal death. Jesus is 



Christ's Fourth Word o?i the Cross, 457 



abandoned, to manifest to thee the greatness and 
extent of His love for thy soul: "For> having loved 
his ow7t who were in the world, he loved tliem unto the 
end." (John, xiii, 1.) "Jesus suffered this derelic- 
tion, to show to thee the severity of divine justice, 
and the immensity of His mercy, Jesus is abandoned 
because He desires to be received in thy heart, and 
to draw thy affection to Him. In fine, Jesus is 
abandoned on the cross, to leave to thee in thy suf- 
fering an example of patience and perfect resignation 
to the will of God." (St. Cyprian, De Passion, ex 
A. Lapide, Matt, xxvii, 46.) 



Prayer. 

Jesus, Son of God ! Jesus my Saviour ! how 
dearly my soul has cost Thee ! Thy eternal Father 
has abandoned Thee, because, on account of my 
most grievous sins, He should have abandoned me. 
I am the guilty criminal, and Thou, merciful Son 
of God, hast to bear the punishment justly due to 
my sins* Thy most painful dereliction on the 
cross was endured by Thee, divine Lamb of God, 
to deliver me from eternal damnation. Without 
these Thy sufferings I should have been lost during 
an endless eternity. It was Thy full knowledge of 
this eternity of woe that moved Thy heart to mercy 
and compassion for my unhappy state. Dear-est 
Jesus, I compassionate Thee in the sufferings en- 
dured for my sake in Thy dereliction on the cross. I 
know Thy infinite mercy, I detest my sins as the 
cause of all my miseries. But, O suffering Saviour, 
agonizing Son of God ! I detest and hate all my sins, 
principally because they have been the bitter cause 
of Thy most painful dereliction. O eternal Father! 
through the anguish of Thy divine Son on the 
cross, grant me true sorrow and contrition for all 
my sins, and deliver my soul from the curse of 
eternal damnation. 

20 



453 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Heart of Mary, pierced with the sword of 
grief by the loud cry of Jesus on the cross ! I 
compassionate thee in thy maternal anguish. O 
Mary, most loving Mother ! what power sustained 
your life, when at the foot of the cross you heard 
those tremulous words from the dying lips of your 
divine Son : "My God, my God, why hast thou 
abandoned me ? " I believe this was the sword an- 
nounced to you by holy Simeon, that should pierce 
your loving heart. I heartily compassionate you, 
most holy Mother ! I entreat you, by the grief that 
you endured on this occasion at the foot of the cross, 
to assist me at the point of my death, to obtain for 
me a true sorrow for my sins, full confidence in the 
mercy of God, and a tender devotion to the agony 
of your divine Son, that, suffering, and dying in His 
company, I may, with the assistance of your mater- 
nal love, deserve to live with Him and with you 
during all blessed eternity in the kingdom of His 
glory. Amen. 



Christ 's Fifth Word on the Cross. 



459 



XXVIII. CONSIDERATION. 



FIFTH WORD OF JESUS ON THE CROSS: " JESUS, 
KNOWING THAT ALL THINGS WERE NOW 
ACCOMPLISHED, THAT THE SCRIPTURE 
MIGHT BE FULFILLED, SAID : I 
THIRST." (John, xix, 28.) 

We are now proceeding to meditate on the fifth 
word, of our agonizing Saviour. The more our 
crucified Redeemer speaks, the more profound His 
dying words become. We have had occasion to 
observe that His first sentence was plainer than the 
second. The second was more obvious and clearer 
than the third. We have surely found the fourth 
word by far more profound and mysterious than 
any sentence or speech ever uttered before, during 
His life, by our divine Master. We hear now His 
fifth word. It is very short. He says, "Sitio" 
" I thirst." We will, however, find it pregnant with 
deep and important doctrines. 



First Point. 

"Jesus, knowing that all things were now accom- 
plished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said: 
t thirst" 

I. The generality of men on the point of death 
have their minds confused and agitated by suffer- 
ings and by fear. This is more particularly the 
case when their sufferings are extreme, and they die 
a violent death. The sufferings endured by our 
Redeemer on the cross are greater in extent and 
intensity than those ever experienced by any mortal 
man. Yet they do not in the least disturb His 
great soul. His mind is perfectly calm, clear, re- 



460 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



collected, and full of virtuous activity. During His 
agony on the cross, jesus keeps His attention fixed 
on God. He came upon earth to do the will of 
His heavenly Father. "Behold" He said, "behold 
I come to do thy will, O God" (Heb., x, 9.) A 
few days before His death, Jesus said to His twelve 
apostles: "Behold we go up to Jerusalem ; and all 
things shall be accomplished which were written 
by the prophets concerning the Son of man" (Luke, 
xviii, 31.) Jesus on the cross has every word of the 
Holy Scripture present to His mind. He examines 
in detail every thought, word, action, and event of 
His life upon earth ; He sees that everything written 
concerning Him is now accomplished, except one 
single prophecy made by holy David. It was this : 
"In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." (Ps. 
lxviii, 22.) Jesus is determined to have this prophecy 
immediately fulfilled. He is tormented with a 
burning thirst. He does not expect any refreshing 
beverage from the unabating malice of His enemies^ 
but He is anxious to have every word of the Scrip- 
ture accomplished, cost what it may to His afflicted 
humanity. Jesus knowing that all things were now 
accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 
He said : " / thirst." Jesus had tasted vinegar and 
gall immediately before His crucifixion; but this 
was given to Him without His asking for it. More- 
over, He was not then suffering, as He does now, 
this excruciating thirst. The prophecy must be 
realized to its fullest extent. Therefore, that the 
Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, "I thirst." 

II. Who will not admire in this circumstance the 
calmness of our Saviour's soul, during His mortal 
agony ? No amount of suffering, no insult, can in 
the least degree disturb His spirit. Is not this 
person on the cross more than man ? A divine 
person only can act as Jesus does. Then observe 
His zeal for the full observance of the smallest tittle 
of the law concerning Him. To drink a few drops 
of vinegar in His agony on the cross, seems to our 



Chris fs Fifth Word on the Cross. 461 



human mind a very small matter for our divine 
Lord. But He is a model of perfection, and nothing 
escapes His attention. "Amen, I say unto you, till 
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall 
?tot pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matt., 
v, 18.) Jesus practises what He teaches. He taught 
that "he who is faithful in that which is least, i 
faithful also in that which is greater!' (Luke, xvi 
10.) We should learn from this how perfect this 
divine Master has been during His whole life upon 
earth, when, on the cross, He will not omit to have 
His palate imbittered by vinegar, because this is 
one of the prophecies to be accomplished by Him. 
"Jesus knozving that all things were now accornplished, 
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, he said : I thirst" 
May we live like our divine Master, that our death 
may be like unto His ! 

III. Consider, moreover, the calm recollection of 
our Saviour upon the cross. In His extreme suffer- 
x ings, in His profound humiliations, in His most 
painful dereliction, His mind and heart are entirely 
occupied in fulfilling the will of His heavenly Father. 
He examines every prophecy of the Old Testament 
to secure its perfect accomplishment. He directs 
all the future mysteries of Christianity to the con- 
version, sanctification, and salvation of mankind. 
With great serenity of mind He reviews all the 
ages of time, He peruses every page of the Holy 
Scripture, and considers in it every circumstance 
which has any relation to His great sacrifice on the 
cross, because He desires to fulfil every figure and 
every prophecy. The attention of our Saviour is not 
distracted by the clamors of the noisy crowd near His 
cross. Their derisions, insults, and blasphemies do 
not in the least disturb His spirit. Patient in His 
sufferings, meek under the outrages offered Him, 
calm and recollected, our crucified Lord presides 
with a divine dignity at the accomplishment of the 
grandest work of Omnipotent power. He considers 
every detail, He combines every part, He foresees 



462 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

every obstacle, He disposes every event, in order 
that the great sacrifice of human redemption may 
be fully accomplished on the cross, and may, to the 
end of time, preserve its infinite efficacy for the 
sanctification and salvation of the whole world. 
f Thus the mind of Jesus in His last agony is entirely 
occupied in promoting the everlasting glory of His 
eternal Father, and in securing the salvation and 
perfect happiness of mankind. "Jesus knowing that 
all things tvere now accomplished, that the sacrifice 
might be fulfilled, he said : I thirst." May we all 
share in this blessed thirst for the glory of God, 
for the honor of our Saviour, for the triumph of 
our holy religion, for the perfection of our soul, for 
the conversion of all sinners, and the salvation of 
all men. 



Second Point. 

" I thirsty Let us consider now the severity of our 
Saviour's thirst upon the cross. 

I. Reflect that an incredible number of sins are 
daily committed by men through their indulgence 
in eating and drinking. The very first crime ever 
perpetrated on earth, was that of eating the forbid- 
den fruit in the terrestrial paradise. From that 
day to this moment, sins of intemperance have been 
accumulated by men without interruption. These 
sins have increased upon earth in proportion as 
men have become more carnal and sensual. Even 
among Christians, comparatively few persons are 
entirely exempt from sins contrary to temperance, 
either in the quantity or quality of their food and 
drink, or in the mode or in the motive for which they 
take it. How few, indeed, are those Christians who 
faithfully comply with the following injunction of 
St. Paul : " Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever 
else you do, do all things for the glory of God" ! 
(1 Cor., x, 31.) Some knowledge of the general 



Christ's Fifth Word on the Cross. 463 



habits of human society, joined with our own 
personal experience, will convince any thoughtful 
man that the number of sins committed through in- 
dulgence of the palate is incredible. Limit your 
calculations to the vicious irregularities, and the 
excesses of self-indulgence in drink, and you will 
soon be convinced of the amount of crimes perpe- 
trated in the world in this respect. Moreover, sins 
of intemperance are invariably the prolific cause 
and occasion of innumerable other crimes. 

II. Now consider that Jesus Christ upon the cross 
had to suffer and to atone for all these sins. Among 
all His senses, His palate had, during His passion, 
been comparatively free from external pain. Our 
Lord purposely reserved this torture for the last 
hour of His agony, to signify to us that it was for 
Him one of the most excruciating torments, the 
torment, in fact, which filled the measure of His 
sufferings, and was the cause of His death. For, 
the holy Evangelist, St. John, who was an eye-wit- 
ness of the fact, says that, "when Jesus had taken 
the vinegar, he said : It is consummated. And bowing 
his head, he gave up the ghost." To understand the 
excess of His thirst, reflect on what St. Cyril says : 
"The flesh of Jesus, dried up by many and various 
kinds of sufferings, is tormented with thirst, because 
grievous pains have naturally great power in excit- 
ing a burning thirst by drying up the physical 
humors of the body, through a certain mysterious 
heat which burns the heart and the bowels." 
(S. Cyril, Com. in Joan., c. xix, 28.) This bodily 
thirst has been caused to our blessed Lord by 
His want of rest during the whole previous night, 
and by His long fasting. He has tasted during 
twenty hours no other food or drink than the gall 
and vinegar given Him immediately before His 
crucifixion. Such a beverage could not afford Him 
much relief ; besides, He only tasted it, and refused 
to drink it. His thirst must have been excited 
by His different journeys in the city of Jerusalem, 



464 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



going to the various tribunals, but more es- 
pecially by the large amount of blood shed by Him 
in His agony in the garden, during the scourging at 
the pillar, at His crowning of thorns, in carrying 
His cross to Mount Calvary, and, above all, since His 
crucifixion. From all this we must conclude that 
the physical thirst of our Saviour must have been 
extreme. Our Lord expresses this thirst through 
His holy prophet, saying: "My heart is become like 
wax melting in the midst of my bowels." These 
words describe the internal mysterious heat men- 
tioned by St. Cyril, which burns the heart and 
bowels. u My strength is dried up like a potsherd near 
the fire, and my tongue hath cleaved to my jaws." 
(Ps. xxi, 16.) 

III. Reflect again, devout Christian, that during 
His whole bitter passion our divine Redeemer 
never uttered one single word of complaint. Like 
a meek lamb led to the slaughter, He opened not 
His mouth. In patient silence He endured His 
bloody flagellation, and the barbarous torment of 
His thorny crown. During the agony of His cru- 
cifixion, not a single word of lamentation escaped 
His blessed lips. Look at your Saviour upon the 
cross. Behold, from the top of His head crowned 
with thorns to the soles of His feet pierced with 
nails, there is no sound spot on His lacerated body ! 
"Wounds and bruises and swelling sores disfigtire it. 
They are not bound up, nor dressed, nor fomented 
with oil by any friendly handy (Isa., i, 6.) This 
most holy Son of God, this ardent lover of souls, has 
been enduring with heroic fortitude all these horri- 
ble torments during three long hours of agony upon 
the hard tree of the cross, without uttering one 
single word of complaint. Once only Jesus is 
forced to break this profound silence. We have 
just heard Him saying, "I thirst." Ah! then, with- 
out doubt, we must conclude that His thirst is ex- 
cessive beyond endurance. Jesus has only strength 
left to express His extreme want in this short word : 



Christ's Fifth Word on the Cross. 465 



"Sitio " — " I thirst." My strength is withered and 
dried up. My tongue cleaves to my jaws. For pity' 
sake give me a drop of water. . .But there is no 
sentiment of pity in the heart of His enemies. No 
water is given Him. But His parched mouth is 
imbittered with the disagreeable potion of vinegar. 
"And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar on the top 
of a reed, gave him to drink." (Mark, xv, 36.) 

IV. Let this barbarity serve as our last argument 
to prove the excess of our Saviour's thirst in His 
agony on the cross. Jesus knew full well the malice 
and hatred of His enemies. His painful experience 
showed to Him that His sufferings, instead of soften- 
ing their hearts, on the contrary hardened them 
more against every sentiment of humanity. Our 
Lord knew that, by manifesting His thirst, the 
malice of His enemies would suggest to them some 
new mode of increasing His sufferings. From their 
corrupted hearts and perverted minds He expected 
nothing else but vinegar. Jesus had before His 
mind the prophecy of David : "In my thirst they 
gave me vinegar to drink." (Ps. lxviii, 22.) The ardor 
of His thirst must therefore have been extreme, 
when it forced Him to ask this disgusting bever- 
age from such implacable enemies. Yes, Jesus can 
say with truth, "/ thirst." My strength is dried up 
by an interior burning fire, which devours my 
entrails, and makes my heart boil like melting wax. 
My tongue hath cleaved to my jaws. I am scarcely 
able to speak. Give me a little water. But, alas ! 
says St. Augustine, He who gave the Jews miracu- 
lous water from the rock, He who gave them the 
land of promise flowing with milk and honey, He 
who has provided copious springs of fresh water 
for men and beasts, cannot, in His agony upon the 
cross, obtain any other refreshment than vinegar. 
"Sic propinator fontium potatur aceto ; me His dator 
cibatur felle." (S. August. Catena in. Ps. lxviii.) 

Reflect seriously upon the sufferings of your 
crucified Saviour, Christian reader. Examine your 



466 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

conduct and see, whether by the indulgence of your 
palate, you have in any way contributed in causing 
this burning thirst to Jesus on the cross. Every 
time we eat or drink through mere sensuality, we 
give vinegar to our agonizing Saviour. You are 
not one of those who indulge in drink to excess. 
But, if you know any of these degraded men, pro- 
pose to him the thirst of our crucified Lord, and 
implore him for His sake to renounce this worse 
than beastly vice. Exhort him to join that pious 
sodality of devout Catholics who, in remembrance 
and honor of His thirst upon the cross, promise to 
practise that praiseworthy self-denial of abstaining 
from every kind of intoxicating drink. Encourage 
him to trust in the special assistance of our Saviour's 
grace, and in the promise of abundant spiritual 
consolations, which our Lord will bestow upon all 
those virtuous Christians who practice this self-denial 
in honor of His bitter thirst upon the cross. St. 
Ambrose says that our Lord drank the bitterness 
of our gall and vinegar of sin, to infuse in our souls 
the sweetness of His love and grace. "Bibit Christus 
amaritudinem meant, ut mihi refunderet stiavitatem 
gratice suce" (St. Ambr. in Ps. 98.) 



Third Point. 

Consider that, besides the torturing thirst of His 
body, our crucified Saviour endured a more ardent 
thirst in His soul. The thirst of Jesus' soul pro- 
ceeds from two opposite directions, namely : from 
heaven, and from the earth ; from God, and from 
men. 

I. The first and principal cause of our Saviour's 
thirst upon His cross is His burning love for His 
eternal Father. St. Cyprian says : " This thirst of 
Jesus is the effect and the symbol of His ardent love 
for His heavenly Father " — "Sit is hcec est de ardore 
dilectionis." In preaching His first sermon on the 



Christ's Fifth Word on the Cross. 467 



Mount, our divine Master said : " Blessed are those 
that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be 
filled." (Matt., v, 6.) His most loving soul has 
always been hungering and thirsting after justice. 
During His whole life, Jesus has been burning with 
zeal for the promotion of His Father's honor and 
glory: To this object He has consecrated every 
thought and word, every action and suffering of 
His life upon earth. But, as a lamp that has burned 
out in the service of its master glares up before 
becoming extinct ; so our Saviour, the bright lamp 
pf the world, on the high candlestick of the cross, 
bursts out in expressions of love for His Father im- 
mediately before His death. " Sitio" — " I thirst." 
"Sitis hcEc est de ardor e dilectionis." Before His 
death Jesus makes an act of most fervent love for 
His heavenly Father. He expresses His burning 
desire to see His holy name heard and honored by 
all men : " Hallowed be thy name." Jesus desires to 
see the kingdom of His faith and grace extended 
over the minds and hearts of all men. " Thy king- 
dom come." Jesus on the cross is anxious to have 
the will of His Father executed upon earth as it is 
in heaven. "I thirst" My soul thirsts for my 
Father's glory. There is another kind of thirst in 
the soul of Jesus. Oh ! how ardently this loving 
soul desires to be refreshed at the fountain of the 
Divinity. I am burning, she says, with an ardent 
desire to see and embrace my heavenly Father 
and Creator. u I thirst." This thirst is the cry of 
Jesus' love for God. 

II. The more Jesus loves His Father and seeks 
the promotion of Flis divine glory, the' more His 
heart burns with love for the salvation of man- 
kind. His soul is inflamed with a devouring zeal for 
the conversion and sanctification of sinners. " 1 
thirst." My thirst is for the salvation of souls. 
My anxiety for the conversion of sinners and the 
sanctification of men torments me more than the 
thirst of my body. This is, indeed, very painful to 



468 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



me ; but my thirst for souls is incomparably more 
intense. " Sitis me a salus vestra. Plus animarum 
vestrarum, quam corporis mei sitis me cruciat" (St. 
August, in Ps. lxi.) 

This thirst of Jesus on the cross is the burning 
zeal, which upon the wings of charity made Him 
fly from heaven to earth and through every city, 
town, village, and hamlet in Palestine, in search of 
sinners. It is the thirst of the loving shepherd seek- 
ing after the lost sheep. It is the thirst which Jesus 
manifested to the Samaritan woman near Jacob's 
well, when He said to her: " Woman, give me to 
drink." (John, iv, 7.) I thirst not for material water, 
but for thy faith, for thy conversion. " Jesus," St. 
Augustine says, " was thirsting for the faith of the 
schismatical and heretical soul of the Samaritan 
woman. Jesus on the cross is thirsting for the faith 
and love of those for whose sake He is shedding 
His blood — " Sitiebat Jesus mulieris ftdem. Eorum 
enim sitit fidem, pro quibus sanguinem fudit." (St, 
August., in Joan, xix.) 

III.' Consider and admire here the refinement of 
Jesus' charity towards His enemies near the cross. 
Jesus knows that the best and most efficacious means 
of appeasing an enraged enemy is to humble our- 
selves to him, and to cast ourselves upon his mercy 
and compassion. It is for this charitable motive 
that our agonizing Saviour, with the simplicity 
of a suffering child, manifests His bodily thirst 
to His excutioners, and throws Himself on the 
compassion of His enemies for a little refreshment 
in His extreme thirst. With a languid and affecting 
tone of voice, looking at them, He says u I thirsty 
Had His enemies but ordinary feelings of humanity, 
their hearts would be moved with pity at His ex- 
treme want, and grant Plis dying request. Through 
this act of natural compassion, our merciful Saviour 
would have opened His way to their souls, and ex- 
cited in them other virtuous dispositions, until, at 
last, He would have effected their entire conversion 



Christ's Fifth Word on the Cross, 469 



and final salvation. St. Augustine says : Jesus on 
the cross makes known His thirst, because He 
ardently desires the conversion to His faith of that 
incredulous generation : "Quod sitire se tn cruce po- 
situs dicit, fidem incredulce gent is concupiscit." (St. 
August., in Joan, xix.) 

But the malice of their minds was too deeply 
rooted, their hatred against our crucified Lord was 
too intense, to relax for a moment even in His 
agonizing thirst. On the contrary, these wicked 
men seize upon this last opportunity to demonstrate 
that their cruelty increases with His sufferings on 
the cross. 

Christian reader, this is a most important lesson 
for us. From the example of our crucified Master, 
we should learn how to conduct ourselves towards 
our enemies. Humility and patience, mildness and 
charity, are the best arms of Christian revenge. From 
the obstinacy of our Saviour's enemies, let us learn 
to correspond with His inspirations, and to begin 
our conversion to God from the practice of natural 
virtues, especially of benevolence and kindness to 
the poor and to the sick, if we wish to be enriched 
with His divine grace, and be cured of our spiritual 
infirmities. Engrave this lesson on your heart, 
and let us return to the school of Calvary, because 
our crucified Lord is thirsting after us. 

IV. The ardor of our Redeemer's thirst is too 
great to be slaked by the Jews. He is burning 
with an ardent desire for the conversion and salva- 
tion of all mankind. His divine heart is inflamed 
with a burning zeal for the promulgation of His 
saving doctrines, for the establishment upon earth 
and propagation of His holy religion, for the con- 
version of Jews and pagans, for their advancement 
in virtue and perfection, for the perseverance of 
just souls in grace and in the love of God, that they 
may obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of His 
glory. Our Saviour's zeal for souls is so vehement 
that His active mind, though overwhelmed with 



470 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



sufferings, desires to suffer yet more, if more is to be 
suffered, to secure the salvation of men. "I thirst," 
Jesus says to His eternal Father. I am drowning 
in a sea of pain, yet I desire to suffer more to pro- 
mote your glory. u I thirst." Christian soul, my love 
for you is so intense that I am willing to drink more 
largely and more deeply of the chalice of my passion, 
to testify the extent of my affection for you. I am 
ready to begin my passion again, and endure all the 
same torments and humiliations for each of you in 
particular, to secure your eternal salvation. "I thirst." 
Your tears of repentance and love only can assuage 
my thirst. I thirst for them. I thirst for your re- 
pentance, O Jews ! I thirst for your conversion, O 
pagans ! I thirst for your return to the bosom of my 
Church, O deluded heretics! I .thirst for your 
repentance and penance, O sinners ! I thirst for thy 
tears, O Peter! 1 thirst for thy sighs, O Magdalen! 
Children of my agonizing heart, I thirst for your love. 
I thirst for souls that are hungry and thirsting after 
justice. I thirst to be thirsted after in heaven and 
on earth. This alone can satisfy my thirst. "Jesus 
knowing that all things were now accomplished, that 
the Scripture might be fulfilled, he said, I thirst." 

May this double thirst of our crucified Saviour 
penetrate our soul ! May His bodily thirst move 
our heart to compassion for Him, and His spiritual 
thirst move our compassion for ourselves, and ex- 
cite in our hearts a burning zeal for His honor and 
glory in the conversion, sanctification, and salvation 
of souls. 



Prayer. 

Thy bodily thirst, crucified Jesus ! must be exces- 
sive, when, oppressed by so many and such intense 
sufferings, it can force a special complaint from Thy 
agonizing lips. Thou art silent about the most cruel 
torments inflicted upon Thee, but Thy thirst seems 



Christ's Fifth Word on the Cross. 47 1 



unbearable, for it obliges Thee to ask some refresh- 
ment from Thy worst enemies. Oh ! had t been 
present at the foot of the cross, I would have offered 
Thee a more agreeable drink than vinegar ! But 
I see more loving hearts near Thee in the person of 
Thy most holy Mother, St. John, St. Mary Magdalen, 
and the devout women who understand better than 
I can do, the real nature of Thy thirst. Though the 
thirst of Thy body is very great, yet more intense 
is the thirst of Thy soul. Divine Son of God ! Thou 
art thirsting for Thy Father's glory. Loving Saviour ! 
Thou art thirsting for my love. The affectionate 
tears of Thy Mother, of Thy beloved disciple, and of 
the penitent Magdalen, are more refreshing to Thy 
soul, than any earthly drink could be. I unite 
myself with them. I wish to love Thee as they do. 
I offer Thee their tears and their sighs. I offer them 
in the names of all men. May all souls believe in 
Thee; may all hearts, crucified Saviour ! love Thee. 

Afflicted Mother of Jesus crucified ! by the grief 
you experienced at the thirst of your dying Son, 
obtain for me a burning thirst for His honor and 
glory.- Assist me at the point of my death. Con- 
sole me in my last agony. Grant that I may die 
with the full use of my reason, and that my last 
aspiration may be to be united with you and with 
your divine Son for all eternity in heaven. Amen. 



472 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXIX. CONSIDERATION. 



SIXTH WORD OF JESUS ON THE CROSS : " WHEN 
JESUS HAD TAKEN THE VINEGAR, HE SAID : 
IT IS CONSUMMATED." (John, xix, 30.) 

The present word is connected with the last, when 
our crucified Lord said, "I thirst" We learn from 
St. John that, when the soldier raised the sponge 
upon a reed to the parched lips of our agonizing 
Saviour, after He had drained every drop of that 
disagreeable potion, turning away His head, He 
said in a clear voice: "It is consummated" — the 
sponge is dry. I cannot draw from it any more 
vinegar. This seems to be the literal meaning of the 
sixth word; for St. John says: "When Jesus had 
taken the vinegar, he said. It is consummated" 

There is no doubt, however, that pur divine 
Saviour intended, through this mysterious word, to 
express more profound and more important truths, 
which we are going to consider. 



First Point. 

Consider that all the prophecies of the Old Tes- 
tament concerning the incarnation, birth and life of 
the eternal Son of God, are now accomplished. "It 
is consummated" 

I. Four thousand years before the birth of our 
Saviour, and immediately after the fall of Adam, 
God, in His infinite mercy, promised to him a 
Redeemer. This consoling promise was renewed 
to the holy patriarch Abraham, when God said to 
him, "In thee and in thy seed all the tribes of the 
earth shall be blessed." (Gen., xxviii, 14.) Where- 



Christ's Sixth Word on the Cross. 473 



upon St. Paul justly remarks; "To Abraham were 
the promises made and to his seed. He (God) says 
not, and to His seeds, as of many ; but as of one, and 
to thy seed, which is Christ." (Gal, iii, 16.) In 
this promise God begins to confine the genealogy 
of the future Messiah to the posterity of Abraham, 
His grandson Jacob, giving his dying blessing to his 
twelve sons, consoled them with the following pro- 
phecy, which he addressed to his son Juda: "The 
sceptre" he said, "shall not be taken away from Jiida, 
nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come, that is to be sent, 
and he shall be the expectation of all nations." (Gen., 
xlix, 10.) 

This prophecy was made about 1641, before the 
birth of Christ. He is to be born before the regal 
dignity is taken away from the posterity of Juda. It 
indicates, also, that soon after His birth this royal 
dignity will be abolished. All this has been verified. 

II. The prophet Isaias foretold that the Messiah, 
the Saviour of mankind, was to be born of a virgin 
of the tribe of Juda, of the root of Jesse, and of the 
royal family of David. From the prophecy of 
Isaias pass to the historical narrative of the Gospel. 
St. Matthew and St. Luke give the exact genealogy 
of the blessed Mother of Jesus, and of St. Joseph, 
and they prove to demonstration that both belong 
to the tribe of Juda, and are direct descendants of 
the royal family of David. The realization of this 
prophecy was made known to the whole world by 
the imperial decree of Caesar Augustus, who com- 
manded that "the whole world should be enrolled, 
every 07ie in his own city." In obedience to this 
decree, "Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the 
city of Nazareth, unto Judea, to the city of David, 
called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and fam- 
ily of David, to be enrolled with his espoused wife, who 
was with child." (Luke, ii, 4.) It was on this occa- 
sion that our Saviour was born. Behold here the 
prophecy of Isaias literally fulfilled, which had been 
made nearly seven hundred years before! For, 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



from the same Evangelist we learn that the happy 
Mother of the Redeemer is a most pure virgin. 
" The angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of 
Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin, espoused to a man, 
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the 
virgin s name was Mary" (Luke, i, 27.) 

III. But let us proceed, and we will find that, in 
proportion as the time of our Saviour's incarnation 
approaches, the prophecies concerning Him become 
more clear and explicit. In fact, the prophet Daniel , 
fixed the precise time to seventy-two weeks of years, 
namely, four hundred and ninety years. From 
the prophet Aggeus we learn that the Saviour of 
mankind was to come before the destruction of 
Jerusalem and of the Temple by the Romans. 
(Agg. ii, 8.) The prophet Malachias foretold that 
St. John the Baptist had to go before Him to pre- 
pare His way. (Mai., iii, 1.) Lastly, the prophet 
Micheas announced that the Messiah was to be 
born in Bethlehem. "And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, 
art a little one among the thousands of Juda ; out 
of thee shall he come forth to me that is to be the ruler 
of Israel. And his going forth is from the beginning, 
fro7n the days of eternity." (Mich., v, 2.) The Jewish 
priests and the scribes, or learned men of the people, 
understood so well that this prophecy had relation 
to their expected Messiah, that, when the wise men 
from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, u Where 
is he that is the born king of the Jews? for we have 
seen his star in the East, and we are come to adore him" 
the answer which they gave them was, that, accord- 
ing, to the prophecy of Micheas, He should be born 
ii Bethlehem. It was, in fact, to that ancient city of 
David that the Magi were led by the miraculous 
star where they found and adored Him whom the 
Jews have crucified and blasphemed. 

Our Saviour's flight into Egypt and His return 
thence to Palestine, had been foretold by the pro- 
phet Osee (c. xi, 1). And both the flight and the 
return are registered in the Gospel of St. Matthew 



Christ's Sixth Word on the Cross, 475 



(c. ii). The poverty, obscurity, humility, and labors 
of our Saviour's life are mentioned in different parts 
of the Old Testament ; and we learn from the New 
Testament that He went to Nazareth and was sub- 
ject to His poor parents, with whom He lived and 
worked till He was thirty years of age. 

IV. During the three years of His apostolic life, 
our Redeemer's burning zeal for the honor of His 
Father's glory was prophesied by David. (Ps. 
lxviii, 10.) His frequent miracles were in anticipa- 
tion described by Isaias (c. xxxv, 13), as they were 
afterwards chronicled by St. Matthew (xi, 4). 

Both David and St. Paul agree in stating that our 
Saviour became man in obedience to His Father's 
will. "In the head of the book it is written of me, that 
I should do thy will, God." (Heb., x, 7.) "/ have 
desired it, and thy law is in the midst of my heart." 
(Ps. xxxix, 8.) Hence our Saviour could say : "/ 
came down from heaven , not to do my own will, but the 
will of him that sent me." (John, vi, 38.) "My food 
is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect 
his work." (John, iv, 34.) The Old and New Test- 
aments, prophecies and Gospel, are in perfect har- 
mony. Jesus on the cross can, with full confidence, 
proclaim to heaven and earth that He has entirely 
accomplished the end of His mission to mankind. 
"It is consummated. ... Father, I have glorified thee 
upon earth ; I have finished the work which thou gavest 
me to do." (John, xvii, 4.) "It is consummated." It 
was Thy will, O Father ! that I should be born 
poor and unknown in a stable, that I should live in 
an obscure, humble, and laborious condition. It 
was Thy divine pleasure that I should preach and 
work miracles, though my doctrines were by the 
malice of men to be misunderstood, my miracles 
attributed to the agency of the devil, my conduct 
misrepresented, and, I, Thy Son, calumniated and 
persecuted. Father, though Thy command was 
very extensive and difficult, and my work was very 
hard ; yet I have in everything accomplished Thy 



476 



7 he Voice of Jesus Suffering . 



holy will, I have glorified Thy name, I have finished 
the work which Thou gavest me to do. "/ have 
seen the end of all perfection. Thy commandment is 
exceeding broad : " "Omnis consummations vidifinem ; 
latum mandatum tuum nimis^ (Ps. cxviii, 96.) "It 
is consummated!' 



Second Point. 

Accomplishment of the prophecies relative to the 
passion of our Saviour. 

I. The treason of Judas, the price set on the life 
of our Lord, the calumnies of His enemies, the 
perjury of the witnesses at His trial, the injustice 
of the judges, the blows given to Him, His being 
spat upon, derided, mocked, scourged at the pillar, 
obliged to carry His cross upon His shoulders, 
His crucifixion between two malefactors, His thirst, 
and the gall and vinegar given Him to drink, — all 
was foretold in detail, all has now been accom- 
plished to the letter. "Jesus knowing that all things 
were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be 
fulfilled, said, I thirst. . . And they , putting a sponge 
full of vinegar about hyssop, offered it to his mouth. 
When Jesus therefore had taken the vinegar, he said : 
It is consummated" (John, xix, 28-30.) 

II. St. Laurence Justiniani wisely observes that, 
on this occasion, our crucified Lord did not say 
that one particular thing was accomplished, but 
that absolutely everything concerning Him was 
completed. "Ut omnia intelligas esse completa." (St. 
Laurent. Justiniani, De Christ. Agone.) All, all 
that had been determined in the eternal decrees of 
God concerning the Messiah, all that has been 
prefigured in the patriarchs, all that has been an- 
nounced by the prophets, all that has been repre- 
sented in the sacrifices of the old law, all that has 
been promised by God to mankind, all that has been 
written in the Bible about our Saviour, all without 



Christ's Sixth Word on the Cross. 477 



exception, is now accomplished : "It is consummated." 
The prayers of the just have been heard, the 
expectation of the nations has arrived. "Mercy 
and truth have met each other ; justice and peace have 
kissed. Truth is sprung from the earth ; and justice 
hath looked down from heaven." (Ps. lxxxiv, 11.) 
Man is redeemed, the devil is conquered, idolatry 
is upset, the ancient law of fear is abolished, the new 
law of grace and love is proclaimed, the mysterious 
veil of the temple is rent, the Gospel is uncovered, 
the eternal priesthood, according- to the order of 
Melchisedec, is instituted, the Church is founded 
upon an immovable rock, Christianity is established 
forever, the faith of Christ crucified will be preached 
to all nations. Man will believe, God will be 
adored in spirit and in truth, souls will be saved, 
and will glorify God for all eternity. "It is consum- 
mated" — ''Before Jesus died on the cross all was ac- 
complished, " St. Augustine says, "nothing remained 
unfinished." "Nihil remanserat quod, antcaquam mori- 
retur, fieri oporteret." (St. Aug. Tract. 119, in Joan.) 

III. If all is accomplished by the infinite wisdom, 
power, and mercy of Jesus in behalf of mankind, the 
malice and ingratitude of men have also filled the 
measure of their iniquity against Him. From His 
birth in the stable of Bethlehem to His death on the 
cross of Calvary, men persecuted the incarnate 
Son of God. " He was in the world, and the world 
was made by him ; and the world knew him not; he 
came to his own, and his own received him not." 
(John, i, 10.) Sought unto death at His birth, He had 
to fly for His life into Egypt. But the fire of His 
charity could not be cooled by the ingratitude of 
His people. Jesus returned to them. Like the 
good shepherd, He went in search of His sheep that 
had gone astray, but they refused to listen to His 
voice. This heavenly physician attempted to cure 
their spiritual and bodily infirmities, but, like frantic 
maniacs, they rushed upon Him, and seized His 
person. For His greater humiliation and confusion, 



478 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



they made Him undergo a sham trial. Scourged 
at a pillar like a slave, crowned with thorns like the 
king of malefactors, behold Him at last nailed to 
the cross, when in His agony a drop of water is 
refused to Him, and His thirsty, parched palate is 
imbittered with a potion of vinegar. Our dying 
Saviour could say then: "It is consummated." I 
have done all in my power to manifest my love to 
my people; they have done all they could to mani- 
fest their hatred against me. I have offered to then 
the sweetness of my friendship and grace ; they 
have imbittered me with vinegar and gall. I have 
brought to them the happiness of eternal life ; 
through all manner of torments they make me die 
upon a cross. Yet, from the cross I offer them my 
forgiveness, I pray for their pardon, I leave them 
my Mother to intercede for them. I have given 
orders to my apostles to instruct them. I have 
instituted sacraments for their perfect reconcili- 
ation, and established my Church as the living 
ark for their eternal salvation. "It is consummated." 
My mission upon earth is finished. My work is 
done. Truly, divine Jesus ! Thou hast done all 
things well: "Bene omnia fecitT (Mark, vii, 37.) 



Third Point. 

Consider that God, in creating us, had some special 
object in view. 

I. Besides the common end of knowing, serving, 
and loving God, there must be a special object for 
every individual man. Every person is a member 
of the great family of mankind. Now, in every 
well-regulated family, each member has some special 
office assigned to him. Every servant in a house 
has some special duty. In human society, there are 
single and married persons, parents and children, 
superiors and subjects, teachers and scholars. All 
have their respective duties to fulfil. Christians 



• Christ* $ Sixth Word on the Cross. 479 

are members of the mystical body of Christ. Some 
are eyes in this body, others are ears ; some are 
hands, others are feet. Some are external limbs 
others are internal organs. In the Catholic religion 
there are lay persons and ecclesiastics; there are 
religious of both sexes belonging to different orders, 
with various rules for the direction of their lives. 
To one of these classes we all belong. It will then 
be easy for us to understand what is the special 
vocation to which we have been called. Now, St. 
Paul says : "/ beseech you that yon walk worthy of 
the vocation in which you are called!' (Eph., iv, 1.) 
"Brethren, let every man, wherein he was called, 
therein abide zvith God. Twice does this holy 
apostle repeat this important command, (i Cor., 
vii, 20, 24.) Now, have we steadfastly persevered 
in our vocation? Have we faithfully fulfilled all 
its obligations? Have we from beginning to end 
walked worthy of the vocation in which we have 
been called by God? St. Paul could enforce his 
doctrines by his example. About the end of his 
life he could, with all confidence, say : "/ am now 
ready to be sacrificed, and the time of my dissolution 
is at hand. I have fought a good fight ; I have finislied 
my course ; I have kept the faith. For the rest, there 
is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, 
the just judge, will render to me at that day." (2 Tim., 
iv 7 , 6-8.) Happy those Christians, who, at the point 
of death, will be able to speak like St. Paul ! Chris- 
tian reader, are you one of them ? Examine your 
past conduct. Consider the present state of your 
soul. Your divine Master and Saviour at the 
point of death could say, "It is consummated." I 
am dying. But I die, after having accomplished 
my mission upon earth. I have fulfilled all my 
t obligations. I have done and suffered all that was 
in my power for the promotion of my Father's 
glory, and for the salvation of mankind. "It is 
consummated!' Happy those who die in these holy 
dispositions ! 



480 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



II. But what will be the end of those Christians 
who, during life, habitually neglect the great work of 
their vocation ? They pass their years in the service 
of the world. They sacrifice their health, strength, 
and their life, in their efforts to acquire wealth and 
honor among men, but they scarcely ever seriously 
think about the eternal salvation of their soul. 
Habitually forgetful of the sacred duties of their 
religion, they put off their conversion and the sancti- 
fication of their soul to the last moment of their life. 
They delay beginning the most necessary, the most 
difficult work, until the hour when it should have 
been accomplished, when the time, the means, and the 
strength shall inevitably fail them. What merchant 
or banker could be so foolish as to postpone the 
settlement of his most complicated accounts, when 
his books are to be examined by official authority ? 
"It is appointed for men once to die, and after this 
the judgment" (Heb., ix, 27.) At the point of 
death we shall be asked, and obliged by the 
divine Judge to give an account of every thought, 
word, and action of life. "Give an account of thy 
stewardships (Luke, xvi, 2.) Besides our com- 
mon obligations of men and Christians, every indi- 
vidual person will have to give an account of the 
special duties of his state and condition of life. This 
is the evident meaning of the words of our Saviour : 
"Give an account of thy stewardship But how can 
we expect to be able to accomplish all this at the 
point of death ? In the first place, our death may be 
very sudden, and our soul hurried before the tri- 
bunal of the offended Judge, without a moment of 
time for preparation. What excuse shall we be 
able to give in such a case? We had been duly 
warned of the danger. " Watch ye therefore, because 
you know not the day nor the hour" (Matt, xxv, 13.) 
"Be ready, because at zvhat hour you knoiv not 
the Son of man will come" (Matt., xxiv, 44.) Sudden 
deaths have never been more frequent than at the 
present time. What happens to thousands may 



Chrisfs Sixth Word on the Cross. 48 1 



soon happen to us. Are we ready ? Are we pre- 
pared to meet our Judge? 

III. But let us suppose, which is by no means 
certain, that our death will be preceded by some 
violent and mortal illness. Shall we then be in a 
fit condition to settle in a satisfactory manner the 
important account of our eternal salvation ? To die 
like a good Christian, is to die animated by a lively 
faith in all the mysteries of the Catholic religion ; 
for, " ivithont faith it is impossible to please God" 
(Heb., xi, 6.) All divines agree that during our 
life we are occasionally obliged to make acts of 
faith, and more especially at the point of death. 
But will a Christian, whose faith has been habitually 
languid and dead during many years of his life, 
ibe in a fit disposition to make fervent acts of this 
supernatural virtue at the point of death? More- 
over, if hope in God is for a Christian a necessary 
virtue during life, it is most essential for him when 
dying. The wily and powerful enemy of our sal- 
vation, knowing, from the nature of our malady, 
that very little time remains to him to secure the 
eternal possession of our soul, will use every strat- 
agem, and make every effort, to accomplish our 
eternal damnation. In her last agony the soul, over- 
whelmed by suffering, discouraged by past neglect, 
oppressed by the weight of her sins, frightened at 
the approach of death, terrified by the severity of 
the impending judgment, should have to support 
herself by a most heroic act of supernatural hope 
in the mercy of God, and in the merits of her 
Saviour's passion. Dear Christian reader, can we 
reasonably expect this grand final effort of a soul* 
without virtue and without habitual grace — -by a 
soul who has lived in a continual forgetfulness of 
God and of her divine Redeemer — by a soul habit- 
ually presumptuous in her own natural abilities 
and skill in using the instrumentality of creatures? 

Reflect, however, that neither faith, nor hope, 
without divine love, can save any Christian. We 

21 



482 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

contemplate now a dying person who has habitually 
been a stranger to the love "of God and of his 
neighbor ; we assist at the bed of worldly men whose 
heart has been for many years frozen to the love of 
God, and to supernatural sentiments of Christian 
charity. We behold an earthly man, whose faith 
has been habitually placed in human industry and 
skill ; whose hope has always been in perishable 
wealth ; whose entire affection has been consecrated 
to the enjoyment and pleasures of this mortal life. 
Will he now, in his dying moments, completely 
change and renounce all the most cherished notions 
and aspirations of his soul ; deplore from his heart 
his negligence in the service of God ; think seriously 
of that eternity of which he has been totally forget- 
ful during time ; hate in death what he idolized in 
life ; be heartily sorrowful for those sins and vices, 
wherein he constituted his temporal happiness ; 
repair scandals which are now almost irreparable ; 
make restitutions of manifold injustice, which would 
require the sacrifice of a large, perhaps the largest, 
portion of his ill-gotten wealth ? Will this dying 
nominal Christian be willing and able to accomplish 
all this ? 

IV. Well, then, let him begin to make that neces- 
sary confession of all his sins, which he has neglected 
for many years, or never made with the necessary 
dispositions. But will he be able to accomplish in 
his last agony what he deemed too difficult in the 
years of his health and strength? He habitually 
refused to examine the state of his conscience, when 
he had the perfect use of his mental faculties : will 
he be willing and able to fulfil this duty, now that 
his spirit is agitated by present sufferings and future 
fears, when his reason is weak and clouded, and his 
mind wandering on the yawning abyss of eternity ? 
When scarcely conscious of his own existence, will 
this dying sinner be able to effect a thorough con- 
version and sanctification of his soul, which he has 
wilfully neglected during the best portion of his life p 



Christ's Sixth Wore* on the Cross. 483 

Will he trust in the efficacy of the last sacraments, 
and the power of God's grace? But the sacraments 
act on the soul according to the actual dispositions 
of the dying sinner. We have seen that these are 
not, and cannot be, very assuring and hopeful. The 
grace of God and the merits of Christ's passion are 
certainly very powerful, but they demand our 
cooperation. Because, as St. Augustine says, God 
who created us without us, and Jesus who redeemed 
us without our help, will not save us without our 
voluntary cooperation. Examples of true conver- 
sions at the point of death are rather the exception 
to the general rule of divine Providence. The 
conversion of the good thief was counterbalanced 
by the reprobation of his companion in suffering. 
Moreover, the good thief did not abuse by delay 
the grace of God, as every habitually negligent 
Christian does. Will the dying sinner pray in death, 
who habitually neglected prayer during life ? But 
listen to what God says to such persons: " Because 
I called and you refused ; because you have despised 
all my counsels, and have neglected my reprehen- 
sions, I also will laitgh at your destruction. . . . 
When sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruc- 
tion, as a tempest, shall be at hand ; zvhen tribulation 
and distress shall come upon you, then you zvill 
call upon me, but I shall not hear" (Pro v., i, 24.) 

Will this agonizing Christian think, at the point of 
death, of the passion and crucifixion of his divine 
Saviour, and cry to Him for mercy, who never, dur- 
ing his life, gave a glance to his crucified Redeemer 
suffering for his salvation? If he do so, he will 
hear Him saying from the cross : " It is consum- 
mated." My life has been a continual preparation 
for death, to teach thee to imitate my example. 
The duties imposed on me by my heavenly Father 
were very numerous and very hard, but I have ful- 
filled them all without the least omission. All that 
I could do to effect thy conversion and secure thy 
salvation, I have attempted to accomplish in thy 



4 8 4 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



behalf. I called upon thee by my inward inspira- 
tions, by the authoritative voice of my ministers, 
by the good example of my saints and faithful 
servants, by the internal remorse of thy conscience. 
Thou hast been obstinately deaf to the voice of my 
mercy ; now is the time of my justice. "It is con- 
summated." Time has been wasted, my grace has 
been despised, my mercy has been abused, my 
sacraments have been neglected, the opportunity 
of salvation has been lost. "It is consummated" 
Unhappy soul, death is upon thee, eternity begins 
for thee ; I render to every one according to their 
works. Heaven to the just for all eternity, hell and 
everlasting misery to the negligent Christian and 
obstinate sinner. " is consummated" 

" Thou art just, Lord, and thy judgment is right." 
(Ps. cxviii,v. 137.) Whilst these lines were being writ- 
ten, the seal of God's truth was placed upon them. 
The friend for whose conversion we prayed is dead. 
For some years he had had doubts and fears about 
his religious opinions. His pious wife procured him 
visits trom zealous and able priests. He was glad 
to hear, but slow to believe. His last illness came, 
but he hoped to survive. A priest was with him, 
capable of giving him the light of truth, and the life- 
giving grace of the sacraments. But he bid him re- 
turn on the morrow, which was never to come for him. 
He died soon after the minister of God left his 
house. Here is a new confirmation of the maxim 
that, as we live, so we die. "It is consummated." * 

V. "To-day, if you shall hear Jesus voice, harden 
not your hearts." (Ps. xciv, 8.) "Delay not to be con- 
verted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day. 
For his wrath shall come on a sudden, and in time of 
vengeance he zvill destroy thee." (Ecclus., v, 8, 9.) Any 
prudent man will attend first to the most important 
and urgent duty of his life. Death is the gate of 
eternity. Whilst we live, we are in death. We 
may die at any moment. "Man knoweth not his 



* A real fact. 



Christ 's Sixth Word on the Cross. 485 



own end. But as fishes are taken with the hook, and 
as birds are caught with the snare ; so men are taken 
in the evil time, zvhen it shall suddenly come upon 
them." (Eccl. ix, 12.) Let us then fear daily the 
calamity which may at any moment fall upon us. 
" Quotidianus sit illius periculi metus, cujus nescitur 
incursus." (St. Eucherius.) " The day of our death 
is concealed from us, that we may daily be pre- 
pared for it:" "Latet ultimus dies, ut observentur 
omnes dies" (St. Augustine.) O dear reader ! as we 
value the peace of our conscience, and the salvation 
of our soul, let us without delay begin to do what 
we wish to have accomplished at the point of death. 
The greater has been our past neglect, the more 
prompt should be our entire conversion to God. 
Let us in serious earnestness repair our past losses. 
"Let us do good, whilst we have time" (Gal., vi, 10.) 
"Wherefore, brethren" says St. Peter, "labor the more 
that by good works you may make sure your vocation 
and election." (Pet., i, 10.) Thus, like faithful dis- 
ciples imitating the example of our divine Master, 
we will, when dying, be able to say with firm 
confidence, It is consummated." My death is near, 
but my work is accomplished ; I am now ready 
to be sacrificed on the altar of God's holy will. 
"The time of my dissolution is at hand. I have fought 
the good fight ; I have finished my course ; I have 
kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a 
crown of justice, which the Lord, the just judge, will 
render to me at that day." (2 Tim., iv, 6.) "So an en- 
trance shall be ministered to us abundantly into the 
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ." (2 Pet., i, 11.) 



Prayer. 

Divine Jesus, master and model of all perfection ! 
at the point of death on the cross, Thou couldst say : 
"It is consummated" My mission upon earth is 
finished, the justice of my Father is satisfied, the 



486 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



work of human redemption is accomplished. Upon 
my bended knees at the foot of Thy cross, I thank 
Thee, merciful Saviour, for Thy infinite goodness 
in coming down from heaven upon earth in search 
of my soul, and in redeeming me through so many 
sufferings, and through Thy death upon the cross. 
In gratitude for Thy benefits, I should have loved 
and served Thee faithfully every day of my life. 
But, alas ! my Jesus, I have not done so. I have, 
on the contrary, often violated Thy law, and grieved 
Thy heart by my manifold sins. I have neglected 
the work of my salvation, and the duties of my state 
of life. Were 1, at this moment, at the point of death, 
I should have to reverse Thy words and say : "It is 
consummated"— my life is finished, my time has 
been wasted, Thy inspirations have been disre- 
garded, Thy mercy abused, Thy patience exhausted ; 
I deserve the most rigorous punishment of Thy 
justice! But, since Thou givest me light to see 
the error of my ways, and inspirest me with senti- 
ments of confusion and sorrow for my past trans- 
gressions, Thou wilt also give me grace to repent 
of them, and to begin a new life for the future. I 
firmly resolve to do so. Merciful Saviour ! forgive 
my past sins. Inflame my heart with the fire of 
Thy love, that, with the fervor of a new life of grace, 
I may fully and speedily repair the losses of my 
former criminal neglect. Grant, sweet Jesus, grant 
me the grace that 1 may spend the rest of my days 
in Thy love and service, and at the point of death 
I may be able to say with Thee, "It is consummated." 

Most holy Mary, full of grace, bright mirror of 
all sanctity ! by the grief which your maternal heart 
experienced in hearing, at the foot of the cross, these 
words of your agonizing Son, obtain for me the 
grace that I may for the rest of my life live entirely 
for God, in preparation for a happy death. Thus, 
through your intercession, the end of my life will be 
rendered like to that of your divine Son, and my 
death will be precious in the sight of God. Amen. 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 487 



XXX CONSIDERATION. 



SEVENTH WORD OF JESUS ON THE CROSS : 
" JESUS CRYING WITH A LOUD VOICE, SAID : 
FATHER, INTO THY HANDS I COMMEND 

MY spirit." (Luke, xxiii, 46.) 

The last words of a dying man always make a 
deep impression on the mind of his attendants. 
They are the farewell of a departing soul, the 
utterances of an immortal spirit, the echoes of eter- 
nity. They often express the last wish of a dying 
friend, the admonitions of an expiring parent, the 
final token of affection, the closing prayer of a just 
soul. These last expressions are watched with an 
eagerness commensurate with the greatness and 
dignity of the dying personage. All his words are 
carefully treasured up in the mind of his admirers, 
written down with scrupulous fidelity, and trans- 
mitted to posterity. 

Christian soul ! we have just heard the last words 
of the greatest personage that has ever been, or 
shall be seen dying upon earth. The eternal Son 
of the living God, the young Son of the august 
Virgin Mary, Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah 
of the Jews, the expectation of the nations, the 
Redeemer of mankind, the Saviour of the world, 
has uttered a loud cry from the cross, and spoken 
His last word. u Jesus, crying with a loud voice y 
said : Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit" 
This loud cry, these last words, demand our most 
serious and devout consideration. 



488 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



First Point. 

"Jesus cries out with a loud voice." 

I. Consider that the death of Jesus crucified is 
very different from that of other men. We poor 
children of Adam lose our voice before giving 
up the ghost. Before separating the soul from the 
body, the cold hand of death chills our breath, and 
freezes our tongue. In our agony, our voice be- 
comes hoarse, low, faint, and is extinguished before 
we expire. " Cum ima voce, vel sine voce morimur qui 
de terra sumus." (St. Jerome, Comment.- in St. 
Marc, xv, 37.) We children of Adam, endowed 
with his nature, and heirs of his sin, are from our 
birth condemned to death. From Our parents, with 
the germ of life we receive the poison of mortality, 
and imbibe in our physical constitution the seeds 
of our final dissolution. In short, at our birth we 
fall under the inevitable dominion of death. What 
wonder if, in our last agony, our strength is ex- 
hausted, our tongue is paralyzed, and in the throbs 
of agony our voice is stifled ! Our death is the 
punishment of sin. A criminal condemned to capi- 
tal punishment should die in humble confusion and 
silence. 

But the incarnate Son of God has not commit- 
ted any sin. He is essential holiness, the source 
of grace, and the author of sanctincation, and life 
eternal. Death cannot have any dominion over 
Him. Jesus is the eternal Word of God who never 
can lose the power of speech. Hence, immediately 
before He chooses to die, He sends forth a loud cry 
to show that He is the Master of life and death, 
that, if in His mercy He dies for sinners, yet He 
does not die like other men. 

II. This loud cry of Jesus on the cross is a 
miraculous proof of His divinity. Jesus dies not 
through necessity of nature, but through the 
voluntary choice of His will. Death is not for 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 489 



Jesus a symptom of weakness, but an argument 
of His power. "I lay down my life" He says, 
" that I may take it again. No man can take it away 
from me. But I lay it down of myself, and I have 
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up 
again." (John, x, 17.) Through the grand mystery 
of the incarnation, our humanity is hypostatically 
united to the person of the divine Word, who is 
the very essence of life. Hence the humanity 
of Jesus, living and subsisting with the life of the 
Divinity, could not naturally die, in spite of any 
kind of torture the malice and cruelty of men 
might have inflicted upon it. As we could 
only through a miracle of divine omnipotence 
be preserved from death, so a greater miracle was 
necessary to cause the death of our divine Lord. 
The death of Jesus is the grandest miracle of di- 
vine omnipotence. Death, that so freely enters the 
bed-chamber of earthly monarchs, and so boldly 
seizes the person of the greatest potentates of the 
world, did not dare to approach the majesty of 
Jesus crucified. In awe and trembling, she kept at 
such a great distance from Him, that He had to 
call her with a loud voice, "Qui morte dominatur 
et prcecipit, potestative expired " (Jeronim. Comment, 
in Marc, xv, 37.) St. Bonaventure says that this 
cry of Jesus was so great that it was heard even in 
hell by demons and reprobates : "Fuit ita magnus 
iste clamor, quod usque in infernum fuit auditus." (De 
Vita Christ.) Jesus Christ, Origen says, has from 
the cross sent forth such a loud cry, immediately 
before His death, to make us understand that He 
was then accomplishing a mighty work, and per- 
forming wonderful prodigies. "Magna facta sunt ex 
eo quod voce magna clamavit" (Origen, in Matt, 
xxvii, 46.) This loud voice of Jesus, after so many 
sufferings endured by Him before, during, and 
after His crucifixion, must, according to the angelic 
St. Thomas, be considered a miracle. "Utetiamin 
extremis posit us, voce magna clamaret, inter miracula 



490 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

mortis ejus computatur." (St. Thorn. 3. p. q. 47. art. 
1.) But for every intelligent Christian believer, 
the most surprising of our Lord's miracles must be 
considered that of His actual death on the cross. 
Good God ! what power of divine omnipotence was 
necessary to cause the death of a God-man ! Were 
it not for the malice and cruelty of the Jews against 
our Saviour, we should not be surprised at their in- 
credulity that the true Son of God could be allowed 
to die upon a cross. When the pagans refused to 
believe that the God of the Christians died cruci- 
fied, they showed that they had an exalted idea of 
the Divinity. Like modern infidels, they believed 
more in the majesty than in the power, wisdom, 
and goodness of God. Their unbelief, however, 
contrary to their intentions, enhances the sublimity 
of the grandest of all miracles, wich is certainly the 
death of Jesus Christ, true man and very God. Oh ! 
what mighty power was necessary to cause the 
death of a sinless and impeccable man! What 
power of divine omnipotence had to be exercised 
to cause the death of Jesus' humanity, hypos- 
tatically united with the eternal Word of God ! 
Ah ! the death of a man-God is the profoundest and 
most terrible of all mysteries. The loud voice of 
Jesus was intended to reveal to us the depth of this 
awful mystery of divine charity. "Jesus, crying 
with a loud voice, says : Father, into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit " May this loud cry of our dying 
Saviour be heard by all men! May it penetrate 
into the minds and hearts of all Christians, that they 
may duly understand and appreciate the august 
sacrifice of the cross ! 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 491 



Second Point. 

Consider, Christian soul, how severe must have 
been the sufferings of our divine Saviour at His death. 

L Death is the separation of the soul from the 
body. This separation is so painful for all men, 
that it cannot be effected without the most frightful 
and the most commonly dreaded pangs of agony. 
Hence, all men naturally fear this final struggle with 
death. The reason is obvious. Between the soul 
and the body there is the closest union possible 
between two different natures. Moreover, the soul 
gives life to the body, ennobles its existence, and is 
an essential condition for its sensible enjoyments. 
On the other side, the body is the necessary accom- 
plishment of human nature, and the faithful instru- 
ment of the soul's operations. After years of the 
most intimate union, it is no wonder that both soul 
and body naturally dread the complete separation 
of death. 

Yet, there are powerful motives for every man, 
and much more for every Christian, to soothe the 
pang of this separation. For, how intimate soever 
may be the union of soul and body, nevertheless 
there is often between them some disagreement. 
In our fallen nature, we carry within our bosom 
the elements of dissension and insubordination. 
"The flesh" St. Paul says, "lusteth against the spirit, 
and the spirit against the flesh, for these are contrary 
one to another" (Gal., v, 17.) Moreover, the 
material nature and weight of the body is a burden 
to the spirit ; and the frequent changes and humili- 
ating corruptions of the flesh degrade the soul. 
For, as the wise man says, "the corruptible body is a 
load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth 
down the mind." (Wisd. ix, 15.) Hence St. Paul 
said : "Our flesh had no rest, but we suffered all tribu- 
lation ; combats without, fears within." (2 Cor., vii, 5.) 

Finally, every Christian believes with St. Paul 



492 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



that, " zvhile we are in the body, we are absent from 
the Lord." (2 Cor.,, v, 6.) The body is a filthy, 
gloomy, and narrow dungeon which keeps the soul 
an exile from the glorious kingdom of heaven, and 
from the beatific vision of her heavenly Father in 
the blessed company of all the saints and angels. 
Hence, St. Paul often exclaimed: u Unhappy man 
that I am : who shall deliver me from the body of this 
death ? " (Rom., vii, 24.) "I desire to be dissolved &nd 
to be with Christ!' (Phil., i, 23.) "For we knozv, if 
our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, that 
we have a building of God, a house not made with 
hands, eternal in heaven." (2 Cor., v, 1.) All these 
are powerful motives to induce every Christian to 
welcome death as a liberator from temporal evils, 
and as the gate to everlasting happiness. Never- 
theless, such is the natural horror of death, that all 
men dread it. 

II. Now reflect how different is the nature of the 
union of our Saviour's soul with her privileged body. 
The body of Jesus, conceived by the Holy Ghost, 
and formed of the purest flesh of an immaculate 
virgin mother, was most noble and most perfect. 
It was in all things most completely subject to every 
wish of His soul. It was her most loving companion, 
her most faithful friend, her most respectful and 
docile servant. From the first moment of the incar- 
nation, and for a period of more than thirty-four 
years, the soul and body of Jesus had enjoyed in 
perfect harmony the sw r eetest happiness of their 
miraculous union. They were the twins of a divine 
paternity. The soul of Jesus communicated life, 
health, strength, and joy to the body ; the bod^ was 
the most docile and the fittest instrument of her 
meritorious actions in the grand work of human re- 
demption. Both w r ere the cherished objects of the 
predilection of the eternal Word and of the most 
august Trinity. They excited the admiration of 
Heaven, and formed the hope of mankind. 
Again the separation of death was not a necessary 



Christ 's Seventh Word on the Cross. 493 

condition, as for the rest of men, to put them in 
possession of God. The soul of Jesus had not to 
say like St. Paul, "I desire to be dissolved, and to be 
with Christ!' Both soul and body constituted the 
humanity of Christ Jesus. They were substanci- 
ally united to the person of the divine Word, 
who lived in them ; beatified them, and was wor- 
shipped by them in spirit and in truth, with greater 
perfection than He was, or could be, by all the 
angels in heaven. Lastly, the soul of Jesus could 
not at her death console herself by saying with 
St. Paul: " We /enow, if our earthly house of this 
habitation be dissolved, that vje have a building of 
God, a house not made with hands, eternal in 
heaven;" because the body of Jesus was neither an 
earthly house, nor made by mortal hands, but it was 
the most perfect work of the Most High, the living 
temple of the Holy Ghost, the eternal tabernacle 
of the incarnate Word of God. The soul of Jesus 
had no need to be separated from her body to obtain 
a building of God, a house not made with hands, 
and eternal in heaven. She already possessed all 
this, and infinitely more, in her sacred and most holy 
"body, because in it and with it she was hypostati- 
cally united with the Word. "For in him dwelleth 
all the fulness of the Godhead corporally, and she is 
filled in him, who is the Head of all principality and 
power" (Col., ii,9«) 

III. The body of Jesus was the terrestrial paradise 
of His soul. If Adam and Eve felt the most har- 
rowing grief when expelled from that garden of 
earthly happiness, oh ! who can comprehend or 
imagine what must have been the agony of that 
blessed soul in being separated from her most holy 
body ? As the body and soul of our Lord were 
linked together not only by that strong union which 
is natural to all men, but by the infinitely stronger 
and closer union of the Divinity in the person of the 
eternal Word ; so, in their separation by death, 
they both, but especially the soul of Jesus, must 



494 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



have experienced an agony of pain commensurate 
with the power and force required to effect this 
awful separation. As this power was divine, im- 
mense, and infinite, so the agorly of Jesus at His 
death cannot be scanned or comprehended by 
created intelligence. God alone can fathom its 
depth of sorrow, and the extent and intensity of 
its agony. The pain of Jesus' agony was so im- 
mense, that it would in an instant have caused 
the immediate death of all men, had they been 
ten thousand millions of times multiplied. O great 
God ! what wonder that the sun is darkened, 
the earth trembles with horror, the rocks are 
rent, the veil of the temple is split, and the se- 
pulchres are opened to allow the dead to rise 
and witness the awful tragedy of 'Calvary? What 
wonder if Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said : 
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit ? " "Ille 
qui de coelo descendit, cum ex alt at a voce expirat." 
(St. Jerome.) 

IV. " Father, into thy hands." Consider attentively 
these words. They are intended to show that both 
hands of the Almighty had to be employed in 
wrenching, as it were, the soul from the body of 
Jesus. Reflect that our Lord had been condemned 
to death because He made Himself the Son of God. 
The Jews had sufficient light to understand that, 
had Jesus of Nazareth been truly the Son of God, 
no created power could have caused His death. 

Hence thev said: " He trusted in God, let him 
j ... 

deliver him now, if he will have him ; for he said : 
I am the Son of God." Then, turning to our crucified 
Lord, they defiantly said to Him: "If thou be the 
Son of God, come down from the cross." (Matt., xxvii, 
40.) To convince the Jewish people and the whole 
world that Jesus was not the Son of God, His ene- 
mies were determined to put Him to death. The 
Holy Ghost, in the following prophetical words of 
the Wise Man, describes their secret motives and 
intentions: " Let our strength be the lazv of justice: 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 495 



for that which is feeble, is found to be nothing worth. 
Let us, therefore, lie in wait for tlie just, because he 
is not for our turn ; and he is contrary to our doings, 
and upbraideth us with transgressions of the lazv, and 
divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life. He 
boasteth tltat he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth 
himself the Son of God. He is become a censurer of 
our thoughts. He is grievous unto us even to behold ; 
for his life is not like other men's, a?td his ways are 
very different. We are esteemed by him as triflers ; 
and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness ; 
and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and 
glorieth that lie hath God for his Father. Let us see 
then if his words be true ; and let us prove what shall 
happen to him, and zve shall know what his end shall 
be. For, if he be the true Son of God, he will defe?id 
him, and will deliver him from the hands of his 
enemies. Let us examine him by outrages and tor- 
tures, that we may know his meekness and try his 
patience. Let us condemn him to a most shameful 
death : for there shall be respect had unto him by 
his words. These things they thought, and were de- 
ceived : for their ozvn malice blinded them." (WiscL, 
ii, 1 1-2 1.) 

Had our Lord died through the violence of their 
tortures, their triumph would have been complete. 
Here, then, we are called upon to witness the 
most awful struggle ever seen in heaven or upon 
earth. Jews and Gentiles, instigated by the malice 
of the devil, combine their energy and cruelty 
to cause the death of Jesus. St. John Cbrysostom 
says: " Diabolus erat qui universos illos occupabat." 
(Homil. 82, in Matt.) Jesus, to prove the truth 
of His doctrine, and to uphold the honor of 
the Divinity, is determined, indeed He is, under 
these circumstances, obliged to preserve the life 
of His human nature. Behold, then, Jesus seized 
by these ravenous wolves, dragged by them 
through the streets of Jerusalem ; His flesh is 
torn from His body with scourges ; His head 



496 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



is pierced with thorns; His body is crushed under 
the weight of the cross; His hands and feet are 
nailed to it; His mouth is imbittered and poisoned 
with vinegar and gall ; through a thousand gaping 
wounds His life-blood is almost all drained trom 
His veins. Jesus, however, not only reluses to 
die, but, to demonstrate more clearly that the 
violence of His sufferings could not cause His 
death, preserves to the last moment of His life 
the full strength and vigor of His human nature. 
Jesus proves this fact by his loud cry sent forth 
with all the power of a strong person full of life 
and energy. (St. Thomas, par, iii, quest, 47, art. 1.) 

The powers of hell, supported by the cruelty and 
malice of all classes of men, both Jews and Gentiles, 
cannot cause His death. The executioners have 
exhausted their strength in inflicting the most 
frightful tortures on the delicate body of Jesus ; in 
their diabolical malice, they have invented new 
torments to force Him to die. Jesus feels most 
keenly all the pain of this manifold martyrdom ; 
but, tp convince them and all mankind that He is 
truly the Son of God, He preserves His strength 
and lite. Jesus, on the cross, gives an evident proof 
of His physical strength by His loud cry, and 
confirms the truth of His divinity by invoking, 
with a strong sonorous voice, God as His real 
Father: "Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said: 
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." By 
commending His spirit into the hands of God, 
Jesus intends to teach us that He is a real man; 
by calling God by the name of " father," He insists 
in asserting His divine origin and nature. "Patre?n 
invocando, Filium Dei se esse declarat." (St. Beda, 
in Luc. xxiii, 46.) Jesus, therefore, is true God and 
true man. 

It is on this account that, even after these sublime 
words pregnant with the power of truth, death 
dares not approach Him. Jesus is obliged to give 
it another special invitation, or, rather, a positive 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 497 



command, by bowing down His head. This bow- 
ing down of the head of Jesus immediately before 
His death, is like the silent, but effective order of a 
civil magistrate or a military officer presiding at 
an execution. The stroke of death cannot be in- 
flicted on the victim until this official order is 
expressed by legitimate authority. This is the 
sublime sentiment of St. Jerome : u Qui morti domi- 
natur, et prcecipit, potestative expirat." (St. Jerome, 
Comment, in St. Marc, xv, 37.) It is in this manner 
that Jesus triumphs like a God over the malice of 
men, over the infernal powers of darkness, and 
achieves His victory over the terrors of death. 
Thus another prophecy is verified. "O death! I 
will be thy death ; O hell I I will be thy bite." (Osee, 
xiii, 14.) This made St. Paul exclaim : "Death is 
swallowed up in victory. O death ! where is thy vic- 
tory ? O death ! where is thy sting? " (1 Cor., xv, 54.) 
Sublime mystery of Christianity ! The death of 
Jesus is the most complete triumph of the Divinity; 
because, as St. Paul says, "through death Jesus 
destroyed him who had the empire of death, that is to 
say, the devil, and delivered them, who, through fear of 
death, were all their life-time subject to his slavery." 
Heb., ii, 14.) 

V. We should not, however, conclude from all 
this that our divine Redeemer upon the cross was 
in his last agony exempt from pain. On the con- 
trary, these rather long reflections are intended to 
demonstrate that the intensity of anguish endured 
by our Saviour at His death was beyond the com- 
prehension of every created intelligence. During 
all His passion the humanity of our Saviour was 
placed under the torture of the most terrible press. 
"/ have trodden the wine-press alone." (Isa., lxiii, 3.) 
Under Him, there was the hardness, malice, and 
cruelty of man, pressed against His humanity by 
all the power of hell ; above Him, there was the 
invincible resistance of divine omnipotence pro- 
tracting His sufferings by preserving His life. The 



498 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



humanit)^ of Jesus was crushed between these two 
terrible powers. Devils and men madly determined 
to inflict upon our Lord a violent death, by the 
multiplicity and atrocity of their tortures ; but 
Divine Omnipotence was resolved to triumph by 
supporting His life without the least diminution of 
His sufferings. On the contrary, this opposition 
of God against the cruel and malicious efforts of 
His Son's enemies intensified to an incomprehensible 
degree the agonizing pain of our Saviour. His 
soul and body found themselves wrenched by two 
most terrible forces. In this agony, death would 
not, and could not, come to his relief. The preserva- 
tion of His physical strength united the soul more 
closely and more strongly with His sacred body. 
Hence their final separation by death had to be 
effected by an act of supreme power, and of the 
most intense violence, which caused an immense 
pang to the soul of Jesus, and through excess of 
pain literally rent and burst His heart. Jesus was 
like the mysterious burning bush seen by Moses, 
experiencing all the intensity of heat without being 
consumed by the fire. (Exod. iii, 2.) During His 
agony and bloody sweat in the Garden of Geth- 
semani, during his horrible scourging at the pillar, 
and crowning of thorns, and during the three hours 
of His crucifixion, our Lord had every second ot 
time to endure the pangs of as many deaths. Ah ! 
even more than this; for He had to undergo 
virtually as many agonies and deaths as He wished 
to save sinners from eternal perdition. But 
because this can be known only to God, so God 
alone can comprehend the immense agony of our 
dear Saviour's death. H^nce Jesus, crying with a 
loud voice to Him who could hear and understand 
Him, said : " Father, into thy Jtands I commend 
my spirit." Thou alone, O Father! canst duly 
appreciate the extent, intensity, and value of the 
sacrifice of my death upon this cross. I die a 
voluntary victim of Thy will, and of Thy love. I 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 499 



die to promote Thy honor and glory in the conver- 
sion, sanctification, and salvation of souls. " Father, 
into thy hands I commend my spirit." 



Third Point. 

Let us consider the meaning of these words of 
our dying Saviour: "Father, into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit." 

I. The first meaning is a profession of faith for our 
instruction. In these apparently very simple words, 
our blessed Saviour, immediately before His holy 
death, proclaims to all mankind, from the pulpit of 
the cross, the profound mystery of the incarnation. 
For, by invoking God by the name of father, Jesus, 
with His last breath, proclaims to heaven and earth 
that He is the true Son of God, as He has con- 
stantly preached to the Jews, during His whole life. 
" Patre7n invocando, Filium Dei se esse declarat" (St. 
Beda, in Luke, xxiii, 46.) 

Again, by commending His spirit into the hands 
of His divine Father, our dying Saviour asserts 
and proves the reality of His human nature, for it is 
His humanity only that He can recommend to 
His heavenly Father. It is thus that our Lord from 
the cross proclaims the mystery of the incarnation, 
which consists in the assumption of a created soul 
and human body by the eternal Son of God. As 
He had assumed this soul and body at His concep- 
tion in the virginal womb of His immaculate 
Mother, through the creative power of the Most 
High, and the prolific operation of the Holy Ghost, 
so now, immediately before His death, He restores 
this soul to His eternal Father. "Father, into thy 
hands I commend my spirit." 

With this doctrine of faith, and more effectively 
by His example, our divine Master teaches us a 
strict duty. All Christian divines, with the angelic 
doctor, St. Thomas, declare that, when we arrive 



$00 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



at the first full use of reason, we are strictly obliged 
to raise our mind and heart to God by acknowledg- 
ing Him as our first beginning, and by consecrating 
ourselves to His love and service as our last end. 
This act should be repeated often during our lives, 
but in a more special manner, when at the point of 
death. This should not be considered a mere pious 
sentiment, and a devotional act, but a grave and 
strict duty, not only for every Christian, but for 
every man. We will certainly comply with this 
sacred duty at the point of death, if we have been 
faithful in practising it often during life. Let us, 
then, frequently say with our divine Saviour : 
" Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." 

II. By these sublime words our divine Redeemer 
gives us an effective example, and a powerful 
motive of hope. In the Garden of Gethsemani, 
during His mortal agony, our suffering Saviour 
prayed to His eternal Father to remove from Him 
the bitter chalice of His cruel passion and infamous 
death. But in this request He was not heard. On 
the cross a short time before His death, He had 
complained of His terrible dereliction, saying : "My 
God, my God ! why hast thou abandoned me?" But 
now, at the point of death, He publicly proclaims to 
heaven and earth with a loud voice that His confi- 
dence in His eternal Father has not in the least 
degree diminished through the severity of His 
divine justice. Hence, crying with a loud voice, 
Jesus said : " Father, into thy hands I commend 
my spirit." u Spirit um vero comme?idando, non defec- 
tum suce virtutis, sed confidentiam ejusdem cum Patre 
potestatis insinuate (St. Beda, as above.) This 
striking example of filial confidence given to us 
by our dying Saviour, should forever banish from 
our hearts feelings of despondency and despair, 
and inspire us with full confidence in the goodness 
and mercy of God, how severely soever we may 
have been treated by His divine justice at any time 
of our life. u For those whom God loves, he rebukes 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 50 J 

% 

and chastises" (Apoc, iii, 19, and Prov., iii, 12.) 
These should, in a special manner, be our senti- 
ments at the point of death. We should say with 
holy David : u In thee, O Lord, I have hoped, let me 
never be put to confusion ; deliver me in thy justice, 
and rescue me. Incline thine ear unto me, and save 
me" (Ps. lxxi.) 

Both the example and words of our dying Saviour 
should strengthen our hope in the goodness and 
mercy of God in all our afflictions, but more espe- 
cially at point of death. These words of our cruci- 
fied Lord are the sharp, penetrating two-edged 
sword with which He has in His last agony effectually 
defeated Satan in behalf of all just souls. All just souls 
are, through grace, united with Jesus Christ. They 
live through His spirit, in fact, they form one spirit 
with Him. " You are sanctified" St. Paul says, 
"you are justified, in the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and in the spirit of our God. . . . But he who 
adheres to the Lord, is one spirit." (1 Cor., vi, 11, 17.) 
Now Jesus Christ, in commending His spirit into 
the hands of His heavenly Father, recommended 
at the same time the spirit of all just souls. By 
consigning these souls into the hands of God, 
He not only took them away from the hands and 
power of the devil, but He, moreover, placed them 
with His spirit in the very heart of God, where the 
influence of the devil cannot reach. " Jesus, the 
Son of God," says Theophilactus, ''having com- 
mended His spirit into the hands of His Father, has, 
through this prayer, delivered us from the power of 
the devil, who cannot have any influence upon souls 
intrusted and recommended to His eternal Father." 
(Theophil. Comment, St. John, xix.) 

Moreover, these words of our divine Saviour have 
secured the full realization of the hope of all just 
souls. Before the accomplishment of human redemp- 
tion no soul was permitted to enter heaven. The 
holiest souls of patriarchs, prophets and other ser- 
vants and favorites of God were detained in limbo. 



502 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



They were anxiously awaiting for the Saviour of 
mankind to open for them the gate of heaven, 
and take them with Him to the blessed kingdom of 
His glory, where, in the beatific vision of God, they 
might be happy with Him during all eternity. 
Now, as these just souls were all united through 
grace and love, faith and hope, in Jesus Christ, it 
necessarily follows that, commending His spirit to 
His divine Father, Jesus Christ recommended all 
these happy souls, and thus secured their immediate 
entrance into heaven with Him. Thus the posses- 
sion of heaven was secured not only to all the just 
souls of the Old Testament, but also, and with 
greater reason, to all future Christian souls. 

We should, in proportion, apply to the souls in 
purgatory what we say of the ancient fathers in 
limbo. By these words, "Father, into thy hands I 
commend my spirit" our dying Redeemer has not 
only opened the gates of heaven to these suffering 
souls, but, by the fulness of his atonement, and by the 
abundance of His redemption, He has diminished 
the intensity, and shortened the duration, of their 
purgatorial fire. "By these words," the same learned 
interpreter says, " Jesus Christ wished to declare 
that the souls of the just ascend to heaven to 
repose in the bosom of God, who before were 
detained either in limbo or purgatory." (Ibid.) 

See, then, Christian reader, in what an extensive 
and magnificent manner these admirable words of 
our dying Saviour strengthen and realize all our 
Christian hope. As far as Jesus Christ is concerned, 
every obstacle to our immediate and eternal salva- 
tion has been removed. The gate of heaven is 
opened, divine justice is satisfied, our soul has 
already by our divine Saviour been placed in the 
hands of His heavenly Father. Let us keep our- 
selves united to the spirit of Jesus by faith and love, 
and we shall soon be united with Him in glory and 
bliss. 

III. But our dying Saviour did more for us by His 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 503 



last prayer upon the cross, when He said, "Father, 
into thy hands I commend my spirit." He gave 
us an example of charity, and bequeathed to, and 
perpetuated this virtue in, His Church. 

He gave us an example of charity and filial piety 
by placing His soul in the loving hands of His 
Father, that He might restore it to His glorified 
body at the time appointed by His divine will. 
Again, by His fourth sentence, "My God, my God, 
why hast thou abandoned me f our divine Saviour 
foresaw that some weak and malicious persons 
instigated by Satan would be scandalized as if He 
had despaired of the goodness of God, so He 
promptly removed the very shadow of possible 
scandal by showing that not only His confidence, 
but also His love for His Father, was rather in- 
creased than diminished by His passion. Hence, 
with a loud voice, He said : "Father, into thy hands I 
commend my spirit." 

Moreover, by these words Jesus bequeathed 
to, and perpetuated the essential virtue of charity 
in, his Church. We already remarked that our 
Saviour upon the cross spoke, suffered and acted 
as a representative person : these words, therefore, 
must be understood to have been spoken by Him 
for all the faithful. In fact, we should carefully 
observe the striking difference between these last 
words, and those which our blessed Lord addressed 
to His apostles in the Garden of Gethsemani, when 
He said, "My soul is sorrowful even unto death." 
Take notice that here Jesus speaks of His human 
soul, "My soul is sorrowful." To His Father He 
does not commend his soul, but His spirit : "Father, 
into thy hands I commend my spirit." 

Reflect, Christian reader, that the spirit which, 
from the first moment of her creation, animated, 
moved and controlled the most holy soul of Jesus, 
was a spirit of charity both for God and for man. 
It was this spirit of divine love and charity that 
prompted this great, this noble soul, to endure so 



504 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



many painful sacrifices for the honor of God and 
for the salvation of mankind. It was this spirit of 
charity that made our divine Lord prefer the 
poverty and privations of the stable of Bethlehem 
to the wealth and comforts of a royal palace. It 
was this holy spirit of love and charity that kept 
Him in the humble labors of the carpenter's shop 
until the age of thirty. It was the same spirit oi 
charitable zeal which made Him travel through 
Palestine, doing good to every person. It was His 
self-sacrificing spirit of charity that brought Jesus 
to Mount Calvary, to accomplish the holocaust of 
love upon the altar of the cross. The sacrifice was 
offered with His own sacred body, the holocaust 
was nearly consumed, but one desire remained in 
the heart of our dying Saviour, and this was : to have 
the spirit that had during thirty-four years animated 
His soul, survive Him, and pass entire as a precious 
legacy to His Church. This was a most essential, 
but, at the same time, a most difficult work. True 
charity does not grow on this cold earth. The 
heart of man is too selfish. Divine charity must 
come from heaven. The heart of man must be 
first purified by the fire of Jesus' heart. A special 
help from His eternal Father was necessary to 
secure this precious boon for us, poor sinners. Our 
loving Saviour could not forget us in His dying 
moments. " Having loved his own, who were in 
the world, he loved them unto the end." (John, 
xiii, i.) 

Summoning up all His strength, burning with 
zeal for our temporal and eternal welfare, the flames 
of His charity bursting out like a volcano of heav- 
enly fire, Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said : 
"Father, i?ito thy hands I commend my spirit" As 
the prophet Elias, at the moment he was being taken 
up from earth, bequeathed His double spirit of holi- 
ness and prophecy to His faithful disciple, Eliseus ; 
so our dear Lord and Saviour in His dying moments 
upon the cross asked His eternal Father to transfer 



Christ's Seventh Word on the Cross. 



505 



to His faithful spouse, the Church of the living God, 
His double spirit of holiness and charity, — a charity 
full of zealous activity ; a charity divine in its origin 
and supernatural in its tendency ; a charity universal 
in its scope and extent, and everlasting in its duration. 
"Having loved his own, who were in the world, 
he loved them unto the end. In this we have known 
the charity of God, because he has laid down kis 
life for US'" (1 John, iii, 16), and because He has 
bequeathed to, and perpetuated the spirit of His 
divine love and charity in all the faithful members 
of His holy Church. "God is charity, and he that 
abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him." 
(1 John, iv, 16.) 



Prayer. 

Divine Victim of charity, expiring Saviour ! listen, 
before dying, to our last prayer. Kneeling at the 
foot of Thy cross, we thank Thee with our whole 
heart for all Thou hast done and suffered for our sake 
during all Thy most holy life, and especially during 
the three hours of Thy most painful agony on the 
cross. We thank Thee, dear Jesus, for having opened 
for our instruction the book written inside and 
Outside with Thy precious blood, and sealed by the 
hand of Thy Father with seven seals so strong and so 
mysterious, that no creature in heaven or upon earth 
was able to open it. Thy last seven words have 
broken these seven seals. They have been to our 
souls like the seven lamps of the golden candle- 
stick perpetually shining before the throne of Thy * 
divine Majesty. They have enabled us to read and 
study the profound mysteries of Thy passion and 
of Thy love. 

Divine Lamb of God, slain for our salvation ! allow 
us to join our cold hearts and weak voices to the 
inflamed and burning spirit of Thy angels and saints 
prostrated in profound adoration before the throne 

22 



506 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

of Thy Majesty, and to repeat with them : " Thou ari 
worthy, Lord, to take the book, and to open the seals 
thereof ; because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed 
us in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and 
people and nation; and hast made us to our God a 
kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth" 
through Thy grace and in Thy love. May all men 
take up the refrain of the angelic hymn, and sing to 
the end of time: "Worthy is the Lamb that was 
slain, to receive power and divinity, and wisdom and 
strength, and honor, and glory and benediction" May 
all creatures continue to sing during all eternity : 
"To him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, 
benediction and honor, and glory and power for ever 
and ever. A men." 

Most afflicted Mother of our dying Saviour ! may 
these angelic homages, and the universal praises of 
all creatures to your divine Son^ console in anti- 
cipation your maternal heart and soul transfixed 
with the sword of grief in hearing the last words of 
your agonizing Son. His imminent death afflicts 
your heart, most holy Mother ! but we will survive 
Him. We are your children. We love you, dear- 
est Mother ! we will for his dear sake obey, respect 
and honor you during our whole life. By the grief 
of your maternal heart, by the desolation which you 
experience this moment at the foot of the cross, help 
us to love your divine Son. Give us a share of 
your grief, that, loving Him and grieving with you 
for His sake, we may live for him and die in His 
love, assisted by your maternal presence and pro- 
tection in our last agony, and thus deserve to enter 
heaven, where we may continue to love, thank and 
praise Him and you, most loving Mother ! during 
a happy eternity. Amen. 



Christ's Death on the Cross, 



507 



XXXI. CONSIDERATION. 



DEATH OF JESUS ON THE CROSS. 



Voice of Jesus. 

My child, after having listened to my last words, 
full of my wisdom and of my love for thee, look 
attentively at me now, for I have only a few mo- 
ments to live. Behold ! thy God, thy Creator, thy 
Lord, thy Redeemer is dying for thy sake on a cross. 
This cross sprinkled with my blood is my throne as 
thy king, my chair as thy teacher, my tribunal as 
thy judge, my altar as thy high-priest. Read, 
my child, the malice of thy sins in the wounds of 
my body, and measure the amount of thy debts 
with the justice of my Father in the extent and in- 
tensity of my interior and exterior sufferings. I have 
endured all for thy sake. I have satisfied my Father's 
justice. I have secured to thee, and to all mankind, 
an abundant redemption. I have done all that as 
God and man I could accomplish, to testify to thee 
the immensity of my love. For all this I ask only 
one thing : in my dying moments I ask thy love. 
My child, give me thy heart. 

Having fully accomplished my mission upon 
earth, the time of my death has arrived. But as no 
created power can take my life, so I had, with my 
last loud cry, to invite, or rather to command, death 
to come to me. Death is close to my person, but 
dares not touch my sacred humanity. I will have 
to bow down my head as the last sign that I am 
ready and willing to submit to its dominion. In 
bowing down my head, crowned with thorns as the 
king of sorrows, I intend to give an example to all 
men, especially when at the point of death, of perfect 



508 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



submission to the adorable will of my heavenly 
Father, of affectionate respect to my Mother at the 
foot of my cross, and the kiss of reconciliation and 
pardon to my enemies and to all sinners. 

My child ! my child ! the awful moment of my 
death, fixed from all eternity, has arrived. My 
bodily sufferings are so intense, the interior anguish 
of my soul is so excessive, that my heart can no 
longer bear their united strain. I bow my head to 
kiss thy soul, my heart is bursting. Farewell to 
all! I die. " It is consummated. And bowing his 
head, Jesus gave up the ghost." (John, xix, 30.) 



PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 

First Point. 

Consider, Christian soul ! the effects produced by 
the death of Jesus. These effects, considered in re- 
lation to our blessed Saviour, are very glorious for 
Him. The death of Jesus should be considered 
His greatest victory. Death could have no power 
over His humanity except at His command, and in 
obedience to His divine will. ^ I lay down my life, 
that I may take it again. No man taketh it away 
from me, but I lay it down of myself ; and I have 
power to take it up again." (John, x, 17, 18.) 

Through His doath Jesus conquered the devil, 
who is the author of sin and the prince of death. 
He has taken away both the sting and the terror of 
death by the fact that He endured it in His body, 
and because, through His death on the cross, He 
opened to all His faithful servants the gate of eter- 
nal life. All the saints with St. Paul desire to be 
dissolved and to die to this miserable world, that 
they may forever be united with Jesus Christ. Pious 
Christians consider death to be the bridge from 
the shore of time to the rock of eternity, from earth 
to heaven. Through His death, our blessed Lord 



Christ's Death on the Cross. 509 

has destroyed the reign of sin, has satisfied divine 
justice, has given to all mankind the brightest ex- 
ample of humility, patience, obedience, and espe- 
cially of charity. With His cross He has barred the 
gate of hell, He has opened for us the golden portals 
of heaven, He has acquired as His special right all 
power in heaven and upon earth, He is made the 
judge of the living and of the dead, rewarding the 
just and punishing the wicked. Through the suffer- 
ings and humiliations of His death, Jesus in His 
glorified humanity has obtained the full possession 
of all heavenly glory, and the sovereign dominion 
over all creatures. " He humbled himself, becom- 
ing obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 
Wherefore God also hath exalted him, and hath 
given him a name, which is above every name ; that 
in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those 
that are in heaven, on earth, and in hell ; and that 
every tongue should confess that the Lord jesus Christ 
is in the glory, of God the Father." (Phil., ii, 8-1 I.) 



Second Point. 

Consider the advantages that accrue to us through 
our Saviour's death. 

I. The blood of Jesus is the superabundant price 
of our ransom. "He loved us, and washed us from 
our sins in his blood." (Apoc., i, 5.) The sufferings 
of our divine Saviour are the treasures of our spirit- 
ual wealth; in His merits and His death is the ac- 
complishment of our redemption: " He gave himself 
a redemption for all." (1 Tim., ii, 6.) "He is the 
propitiation for our sins; and not for us only, 
but also for those of the whole world." (1 John, ii, 
2.) The death of Jesus is the source of our super- 
natural and eternal life. "/ am come that they may 
have life, and have it more abundantly." (John, x, 
10.) "He that believeth in me hath everlasting life" 
(John, vi, 47.) Hence the death of our Lord on the 



510 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



cross has restored to man the gift of immortality 
forfeited by the fall of Adam. u This is the will of 
my Father, who sent me, that every one, who believeth 
in me, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him 
up at the last day." (John, vi, 40.) All the efficacy 
of the sacraments of the new law of love and grace 
is derived from the sacred blood and most holy 
death of Jesus on the cross. 

II. Man naturally fears death, But the true 
Christian should have no fear of it, because the 
death of our Lord has completely changed both 
the nature and the consequences Of our death. 
Before our Saviour suffered and died on Calvary, 
death was the punishment of sin, which made it 
painful, humiliating, and dreadful in its origin, 
circumstances and consequences. But, through our 
Lord's death on the cross, it is now changed into 
the most noble, glorious and meritorious sacrifice 
which, in union with that of our divine Victim, we 
can offer to God. Death endured with perfect 
resignation, and united by our devotion to the 
sacrifice of Calvary, is so meritorious and so pleasing 
to God, that our soul will be immediately admitted 
to the joys of everlasting life. Such is the doctrine 
of all saints and masters of spiritual life. The 
death of persons deprived of the light and consola- 
tions of religion, is a gloomy and fearful event. 
They know not what will be their doom. They 
have too much cause to dread a miserable eternity. 
But the faithful believer, the devout follower of 
Jesus Christ, knows that He has conquered death; 
and, as David removed from the prostrate giant 
Goliah his dreaded sword, so our blessed Saviour 
removed from death its sting, and left it powerless 
at the foot of the cross. The death of a good 
Christian is admirably well symbolized in the person 
of the virtuous Joseph in Egypt. By command of 
King Pharaoh he was taken from the narrow and 
gloomy cell of his prison, and set at liberty. 
Clad in royal robes, he was conducted in triumph 



Christ's Death on the Cross. 



5ii 



to the royal palace, and introduced to the king on 
his throne, surrounded by His princes and noble 
courtiers. He was publicly praised for his great 
wisdom and virtues, raised to the dignity of Vice- 
roy of Egypt, endowed with supreme power over 
the people, and was honored with the universal 
acclamations and homage of the whole nation. 

Death has indeed been transformed by our sover- 
eign Lord and King into an humble and obedient 
turnkey to open at His command the prison gate 
of this body of death, to set our soul at liberty that 
she, on the wings of her love and desire, may at a 
bound fly to her glorious kingdom and throne of 
immense and everlasting bliss in the loving embrace 
of her heavenly Father, and in the blessed company 
of all angels and saints. " When this mortal hath put 
on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that 
is written : Death is swallowed in victory. O death ! 
where is thy victory? O death! where is thy sting? 
Nozv the sting of death is sin. . . . But thanks be to 
God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord 
Jesus Christ." (1 Cor., xv, 54, 57.) Soft and gentle 
and kind hands of flesh will not be needed to smooth 
111 our last agony the pillow of death, when these 
consoling doctrines of faith will cheer our hearts, 
animate our Christian hope, and make our souls 
eagerlv desire to be dissolved and to fly to Jesus 
Christ, our Saviour God. "Cupio dissolvi et esse cum 
Christo." (Phil, i, 23.) 

Third Point. 

Consider that, if "the death of his saints be precious 
before the eyes of the Lord" (Ps. cxv, 15), they have 
all worked hard during life to deserve this happy 
reward. In many images of saints and servants of 
God we see a skull and a crucifix represented, upon 
which their eyes are constantly fixed. 

I. They kept a skull before their eyes, because 



512 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

they daily meditated on death. They knew that 
death is inevitable, because " there is no man that 
liveth always. For it is appoifited for all men once 
to die." (Heb., ix, 27.) Sinners from our birth, 
criminals during life, we are all condemned to 
death. If death did not spare the life of the in- 
carnate Son of God and of his immaculate Mother, 
how can we, wretched sinners, presume to escape 
it? Sooner or later we shall all have to die. 

But when shall we die? No man knoweth the 
day, nor the hour. We know not when, where, or 
how we shall die. This awful uncertainty is com- 
mon to all mankind. But men do not like to reflect 
upon it. God has given us many warnings. " Be- 
hold" He says, "I come soon." (Apoc, iii, 11.) "If 
thou shali not watch, I will come to thee as a thief ; 
and thou shall not know at what hour I will come 
to thee" (Apoc, iii, 3.) "Know ye, that if a master 
of a family did knoiv at what hour the thief would 
come, he zvould surely watch, and would not suffer 
his house to be broken open. Be you also ready ; for 
at what hour you think not, the Son of man will 
come." (Luke, xii, 39.) The principal motive why 
God's wisdom has left us in this perplexing uncer- 
tainty about the day and hour of our death is, that 
we may be daily and hourly prepared for it. Be 
you also ready : for at what hour you think not, 
the Son of man will come. St. Eucherius says : 
" Be daily prepared for an inevitable event, which 
may overtake you at any moment " — " Quotidianus 
sit illius periculi metus, cujus nescitur incur sus" 
St. Augustine adds : " The day of our death is 
hidden from us by God, because He desires that 
we should daily be prepared for it " — "Latet ultimus 
dies, ut observe ntur omnes dies." Behold here the 
reason why the prudent servants of God keep a 
skull continually before their eyes. The continual 
remembrance of death is the most effective spur 
to virtue and holiness of life. Hence they die as 
they lived. Their death is precious before the eyes 



Christ's Death on the Cross. 



513 



of God and men. If we are wise, we will imitate 
their example. 

II. These holy persons, however, were not satisfied 
with a mere skull of death ; they wished also to 
keep constantly before their eyes the author of life. 
The skull alone is too gloomy and sad. It reminds 
us too forcibly of the shortness and miseries of life, 
of the horrors and ravages of death, and gives no 
hope for the future. The image of our crucified 
Saviour was necessary to afford us comfort and 
consolation on these points. The devout and fre- 
quent meditation on the passion of our Saviour 
will convince us that we have not been created for 
this earth, but for heaven ; that, being exiles from 
our birth, " we have not a lasting city here beloiv, 
but we seek for one that is to come." (Heb., xiii, 
14.) Exiles in a strange country do not expect to 
enjoy wealth, amusements and pleasures. The in- 
carnate Son of God found upon earth thorns and 
nails, a stable and a cross, gall and vinegar, calumnies 
and blasphemies. We who profess to be His dis- 
ciples, cannot complain if we share in His sufferings, 
"for the world is crucified to us, as we are to the 
world." (Gal., vi, 4.) 

The contemplation of our crucified Saviour will 
teach us that we belong to Him. He is both our 
Creator and Redeemer, our ransom and our Master, 
our Victim and our life. " Christ died for all, that 
they also who live, may not now live to themselves, but 
to him who died for them. Wherefore, henceforth we 
know no man according to the flesh!' (2 Cor., v, 15.) 

Death has no terrors for the faithful disciple of 
Jesus crucified ; for, if we die in His faith and love, 
we know that we shall rise again to a glorious im- 
mortality. "/ am" He says, " the resurrection' and 
the life : he that believeth in me, although he be dead, 
shall live." (John, xi, 25.) "Nozv, if 'we be dead with 
Christ, zve believe that we shall live also together with 
Christ." (Rom., vi, 8.) " For the spirit himself giveth 
testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God, and 



5 H 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



if sons, heirs also : heirs, indeed, of God, and joint heirs 
of Christ, yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may 
be glorified with him. For I reckon that the sufferings 
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us." (Rom., 
viii, 17.) 

Christian soul, as much as you value a happy 
death and a glorious resurrection, meditate often on 
the passion and death of your blessed Saviour. 
Make at this moment a firm resolution to read, or 
at least to think, daily of some portion of His life- 
giving passion. It will teach you how to live ; it 
will enable you to die the death of the just, which 
will be followed by a glorious resurrection to a life 
of blessed immortality. Kneel down before the 
image of your crucified Saviour, and say to Him : 



Prayer. 

Divine Redeemer of my soul, Victim of charity ! 
Thou art dead upon this cross for my salvation. I 
thank Thee for Thy infinite mercy, which has 
brought Thee from the happy bosom of Thy heav- 
enly Father to the cruel arms of this painful cross 
to atone for my sins, and to die in order to purchase 
for me life everlasting. Whilst I thank Thee for 
the innumerable benefits obtained for me through 
Thy passion and death, and I compassionate Thee 
for Thy past sufferings, I rejoice with Thee for the 
absolute dominion that Thou hast, through the 
sacrifice of Thy most precious life, acquired over 
cieath. Great Lord of heaven and earth, Master of 
life and death ! Thou hast conquered death, sin and 
hell. Merciful Jesus! deliver me from sin, save me 
from hell, give me a happy death. Draw me *to 
Thy cross, crucify me with Thee, that, suffering with 
Thee, and dying in Thy loving arms, I may rise in 
glory with Thee, and glorify Thee for all eternity 
in heaven. 



Christ's Death on the Cross, 



5 1 5 



Most afflicted Mothei of Jesus, refuge of sinners, 
consoler of the afflicted ! by the anguish and desola- 
tion which you endured at the death of your 
divine Son, assist me when at the point of death ; 
obtain for me a perfect sorrow for all my sins, a 
plenary indulgence, and the grace of a happy death, 
so that my soul may, through your maternal care, 
pass in your blessed company to eternal bliss. 
Amen. 



5 i6 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXXII. CONSIDERATION. 



THE RUPTURE OF HIS HEART IS THE IMMEDIATE 

CAUSE OF JESUS' DEATH. 

The death of our divine Saviour was as free as 
His incarnation. The eternal son of God, in His in- 
finite wisdom, power and goodness, assumed human 
nature, because from all eternity He freely decreed 
to do so. " When the goodness and kindness of our 
Saviour God appeared ; not by the works of justice, which 
we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" 
(Tit., iii, 4.) God became man, the Word was 
made flesh, when, where, and how He pleased. All 
this we most firmly believe as faithful Christians. 
But we also believe that, when the Word was 
made flesh, God was pleased to use created instru- 
mentalities. He prepared for His future Mother 
an immaculate Virgin. The great mystery of His 
incarnation was announced to her by an archangel. 
If was not effected without her free consent and 
cooperation. His body was formed from her 
immaculate flesh and virginal blood, and He, the 
Son of God, made from a woman, factum ex muliere, 
the Son of man, like all the children of Adam, 
remained concealed within His Mother's womb 
during nine months. In His infancy He was 
wrapped up in swaddling-clothes, and nursed with 
her virginal milk. During His human life Jesus 
breathed common air, made use of ordinary food 
and drink like the rest of men, to preserve His 
human existence. 

Our divine Redeemer had publicly announced to 
the Jews that no man had power to take His life 
from Him ; that the sacrifice of His life was a vol- 
untary act of His free-will: "He was offered, be- 
cause it was his own will." (Isa., liii, 7.) "/ lay 



Christ's Heart is Broken. 



517 



down my life, that I may take it again. Ao ma n 
taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of my- 
self ; and I have power to lay it down, and I have 
power to take it up again/' (John, x, 18.) All this 
is true, and we believe it. But we must reflect 
that, as the eternal Word of God made use of 
created and free agencies to effect His incarnation, 
and used ordinary means to preserve His human 
life; so He observed the same method in His pas- 
sion and death. Judas, the soldiers, the witnesses, 
the judges, the executioners, the scourges, the thorns, 
the nails, the hammers, the cross, were all created 
instruments used to accelerate His death. Jesus 
is now crucified. He has been agonizing on the 
cross during three hours. The awful moment of 
His death has arrived. Here we solemnly pause to 
ask what will be the immediate cause of His death ? 
We dare not, because we cannot, affirm, with 
positive certainty, that it was the laceration, or the 
rupture of His sacred heart. We shudder with 
horror at this dreadful thought. But the humble 
admission of this supposition would, to our human 
mind, render the sacrifice of Calvary so much more 
sublime and complete, and the symptoms are so 
numerous and so striking, that we have no hesitation 
in believing in its awful reality. As devotion to 
the Saxrred Heart of Jesus has, of late years, received 
a new impulse by Catholic faith and piety ; so we 
hope to edify and please the devout worshippers 
of this adorable heart, when we present it to 
their consideration, rent and riven through the 
excess of His sufferings, and the violence of 
His love for our souls. May divine Jesus give 
us light to understand, and grace to appreciate, 
this last mystery of His passion and death ! 



5 i8 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



First Point. 

Let us examine what motives can we find in the 
Holy Scripture to induce us to believe that our 
divine Saviour on the cross died through the lacera- 
tion, or the rupture of His sacred heart. 

I. We should reflect that the heart of man is the 
source of all evil. Our divine Master says : "From 
the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, 
fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, 
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, 
foolishness." (Mark, vii, 21, 22.) As all sins proceed 
from the heart, so the remedy of sin must be 
applied to the heart. Now, our divine Saviour had 
to atone for all our sins, therefore His sacred heart 
had to be the principal seat of His grief, sorrow, 
and pain. As God, before the deluge, "seeing the 
wickedness of men, was touched inwardly with sorrow 
of heart " (Gen., vi, 5), the same was the case with 
the incarnate Son of God nailed by sinners to the 
cross. Jesus was touched inwardly and truly with 
sorrow of heart in beholding the innumerable iniq- 
uities and the excessive wickedness of men. 

II. This inward sorrow and oppressive grief of 
our Saviour's heart was clearly and frequently 
predicted by the prophets, who spoke by His own 
divine inspiration, for He is the Word of God. 
u Evils without number have surrounded me, and my 
heart hath forsaken me." (Ps. xxxix, 13.) "They have 
cast iniquities upon me, and in wrath they were trouble- 
some to me. My heart is troubled within me, and the 
fear of death is fallen upon me" (Ps. liv, 5.) " My 
spirit is in anguish zvithin me, my heart within me is 
troubled." (Ps. cxlii, 4.) u My sorrow is above sorrow, 
my heart mourneth within me" (Jer., viii, 18.) "I am 
afflicted and humbled exceedingly, I roared with the 
groaning of my heart." (Ps. xxxvii, 1.) "My heart is 
broken zvithin me, all my bones tremble." (Jer., xxiii, 9.) 
"My heart is become like wax melting in the midst 



Christ's Heart is Broken. 



519 



of my bowels." (Ps. xxi, 15.) There are many more 
similar texts in the Bible, but these are more than 
sufficient to demonstrate the excessive sorrow and 
extreme anguish of the heart of our crucified 
Saviour. In fact, the two last quoted texts show 
that our Lord's heart was broken, and the warm 
blood issuing from it became like wax melting in the 
midst of His bowels. This most touchingly de- 
scribes the effusion of blood into the pericardium, 
caused by the laceration of His sacred heart, as we 
shall soon see. 

Now, if similar texts relative to the passion, 
crucifixion and attendant circumstances of our 
Saviour's death, are to be taken literally, why shall 
we not also understand literally those manifold 
striking texts relative to His sacred heart? We 
understand literally those prophetical words: "/ 
have been scourged all the day, and my chastisement 
hath been in the morning" (Ps. lxxii, 14.) u I have 
spread forth my hands to an unbelieving people." (Isa.. 
lxv, 2.) St. Paul refers these words to the cruci- 
fixion of our blessed Lord. " To Israel he saith : All 
day long have I spread forth my hands to a people that 
believeth not, and contradicteth me." (Rom., x, 21.) 
Again holy David says : " They have pierced my hands 
and feet . . . they have looked and stared itpon me. 
All that saw me (on the cross) have wagged their heads 
and laughed me to scorn. . , They parted my garments 
among them, and upon my vesture they cast lots." (Ps. 
xxi.) The very words that our dy ing Saviour ad- 
dressed to God from the cross, u O God, my God, 
why hast thou forsakejt me?" were taken from the 
first verse of this remarkable psalm. Why, then, 
shall we not likewise understand in their natural 
literal sense these words of the same psalm : "My 
heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my 
bowels " ? and also these : "/ am afflicted and humbled 
exceedingly, I roared with the groaning of my heart." 
(Ps. xvii, 1.) "My heart is broke?i within me, all 
my bones tremble" ? (Jer., xxiii, 9.) May not the 



520 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



reason of our unbelief in relation to the rupture of 
the heart of Jesus, be the poor one given by the 
incredulous apostle Thomas, who refused to believe 
in our Saviour's resurrection, because he had not 
seen Him with his own eyes, and had not felt our 
Lord's glorified wounds with his own hands? If 
this be our motive, let us remember our risen 
Saviour's gentle rebuke : " Because thou hast seen mt r 
Thomas, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that 
have . not seen, and have believed." (John, xx, 29.) 
However, after premising one more considera- 
tion, we will, like Thomas, in the second point, as 
he was in the second apparition of our risen Lord, 
be invited to see and to feel His rent and riven 
heart. 

III. Holy David foretold, in a very striking man- 
ner, that the principal sacrifice of the cross should 
be effected in the slaying of our Saviour's heart. 
" Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire. . . . 
Burnt-offering and sin-offering thou didst not require. 
Then said I : Behold I come. In the head of the book 
it is zvritten of me, that I should do thy will. O my 
God ! I have desired it, and thy law is written in 
the midst of my heart." (Ps. xxxix, 7.) St. Paul 
applies these prophetical words to our Saviour as 
uttered by Him in the womb of His virgin Mother, 
and explains them as follows : " It is impossible 
that with the blood of oxen and goats sins should be 
taken away. Therefore, coming into the world, Jesus 
saith : Sacrifice and oblation thou (O Father) wouldst 
not, but a body thou hast fitted to me. Holocausts for 
sin did not please thee. Then said I : Behold I come. 
In the head of the book it is zvritten of me, that I 
should do thy will, O God." (Heb., x, 4.) The head 
of the book means the eternal decree of God, and 
also the beginning of our Saviour's incarnation. 
This appears from these words : "It is written 
of me, that I should do thy will, O God" This is 
said about the eternal decree. But the words, 
"A body thou hast fitted to me" show that they also 



Christ's Heart is Broken. 521 



refer to the beo-innins: of our Saviour's incarnation. 
We must conclude, then, that, from the first 
moment of His incarnation, the law of God, 
according to David's prophecy, is written in the 
midst of Jesus' heart. These words were the 
utterance, not of the lips, but of the heart of Jesus 
just formed by the, hand of God. " They were 
expressed by the first breath that passed inar- 
ticulate from His humanity." (Card. Wiseman, 
1 Pastoral on the S. Heart.) All this shows that, as 
the heart of Jesus loved men from its first pulsa- 
tion, so this pulsation caused also the first sting of 
pain to it on account of our sins. The sacred, 
loving heart of Jesus loved and grieved during 
His whole human life. It was principally the heart 
of Jesus that had to atone and to be sacrificed for 
the sins of mankind. But, as this most holy heart 
was in grief and sorrow during the whole life of 
our Saviour, we must conclude that on the cross it 
must have been more perfectly immolated. There- 
fore, we must admit that it was rent and riven by 
the excess of pain and sorrow. We cannot see any- 
other satisfactory explanation. 

IV. This awful truth will become more evident, 
if we make another reflection upon the words of 
holy David and of St. Paul. For the atonement of 
sin, blood had to be shed. But it is impossible, St. 
Paul remarks, that with the blood of oxen and goats 
sins should be taken away. Therefore, coming into 
fehe world, Jesus saith : u Sacrifice and oblation thou, 
O Father, wouldst ?iot ; but a body thou hast fitted to 
"me" By these words of self-sacrificing mercy, our 
unborn Saviour offered his newly-formed body 
as a victim for our sins to be slain upon the cross. 
We should never forget that this promise was 
made within and by our Saviour's heart, and that 
this most holy heart had to bear the principal share 
of this august sacrifice. If the body of Jesus had 
to bleed during His passion, much more had His 
sacred heart to bl^ed, "because without blood there is 



522 % The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



no redemption." (Heb., xii, 24.) We cannot admit 
the shedding of this blood caused by the lance 
of the Roman soldier, because this took place a 
considerable time after the death of the divine 
Victim. This atoning blood must be shed before 
death, and this death must be a voluntary act of 
Jesus. Therefore, we must come to the conclusion 
that the death of our Saviour was caused, and not 
followed, by the rupture of His sacred heart. "My 
heart is broken within me, all my bones tremble* My 
heart is beco7ne like wax melting in the midst of my 
bowels." 



Second Point. 

The immediate physical cause of the death of 
Jesus is the rupture of His heart. We say the 
immediate physical cause ; for, as we have stated 
above, we believe that our divine Lord died, when, 
where and how He chose. But this article of 
Christian faith can be perfectly reconciled with our 
pious belief that Jesus on the cross, to render His 
sacrifice more perfect, chose to allow His heart to 
break through excess of physical and moral suffer- 
ing, and thus caused His death. 

I. It is evident, humanly speaking, that the death 
of our divine Saviour upon the cross could have 
happened in two ways only. 

First, by a lingering process of gradual exhaus- 
tion, weakness, and faintness. 

Second, by the laceration, or rupture, of the heart* 

If we consider the extreme physical and moral 

(*) See Dr. Stroud's treatise, "On the Physical Cause of the Death of 
Christ" where he quotes other authorities, as Drs. Russell, Edwards, 
Rombach, Eschenbach. See also letter of the eminent British physi- 
cian, Sir James York Simpson, dated Edinburgh, May 1st, 1862. 

Likewise, Cardinal Wiseman's Lectures on the Connection between 
Science and Revealed Religion/ Lect. V, vol. 1. First American edition 
by P. O'Shea, New York, 1872; and the four Pastorals of His Eminence 
on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 



Christ's Heart is Broken. 



523 



sufferings that our blessed Lord had to endure dur- 
ing the eighteen terrible hours of His bitter passion, 
the copious loss of His blood during His agony 
in the garden of Gethsemani, the scourging at the 
pillar, the crowning of thorns, His frequent journeys, 
His long fasting, and, lastly, His crucifixion, we must 
admit that these were naturally more than sufficient 
to cause many times the death of any ordinary man. 
From the Gospel, however, we learn that this was 
not the immediate cause of our dear Saviour's death. 
Persons dying weak, and faint and exhausted, 
cannot speak, much less can they utter loud cries, 
and speak with a strong, clear, and sonorous voice. 
But our* divine Lord spoke seven times during the 
three hours of His crucifixion. A short time before 
His death He uttered twice a very loud cry, and 
the last time, especially, He spoke with such a 
strong, clear voice, that he was heard at a great 
distance from the cross, to the astonishment of His 
own mortal enemies. St. Mark says : "Jesus having 
cried out with a loud voice, saying, Father, into thy 
ha?ids I comme7id my spirit, gave tip the ghost. . . And 
the centurio?i, who stood at some dista?tce over an oppo- 
site hill superintending the execution of the criminals, 
seeing that, crying out in this manner, he had given up 
the ghost, said : Indeed this man was the Son of God." 
(Mark, xv, 39.) For the same reason all the multi- 
tude that had come to witness the triple execution, 
and had previously wagged their heads in contempt, 
and uttered blasphemies against our crucified Lord, 
deeply moved by this prodigious loud cry, " returned 
to Jerusalem striking their breasts in repentance and 
sorrow" (Luke, xxiii, 43.) 

Moreover, the sublime words pronounced with a 
loud voice by our crucified Saviour immediately 
before His death, " Father, into thy hands I commend 
my spirit" so admirably adapted to the dying condi- 
tion of any man, and taken literally from the thirtieth 
psalm of holy David, verse sixth, evidently show 
that the mind of our blessed Lord was calm, clear, full 



524 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



of intelligence, energy and activity, which could not 
possibly be the case with a person dying through 
exhaustion, weakness and faintness. Therefore, we 
are obliged to conclude that the immediate physical 
cause of our dear Saviour's death was the rupture 
of His heart. 

II. The rapidity and suddenness of our Saviour's 
death is another proof that He died literally broken- 
hearted. u My heart is broken within me" (Jen, 
xxiii, 9.) We learn from history that persons cru- 
cified lingered on the cross generally during two, 
three, and more days. The holy apostle St. Andrew 
lived on the cross for two days. Some Christian 
martyrs lived longer upon it. The two thieves cruci- 
fied with our divine Saviour were not only living 
about the end of the dav, some hours after the 
death of our Lord, but, in order to accelerate 
their death and burial, their legs were broken 
and crushed against their crosses with heavy 
iron bars. Finally, we learn from the Gospel that 
the Roman governor, Pilate, was greatly surprised 
to hear from Joseph of Arimathea that our 
Saviour died so soon. He refused to believe him, 
until he had learned the fact from the centurion. 
St. Mark says : " Pilate wondered that he (Jesus) 
should be already dead. And sending for 'the centurion, 
he asked if he were already dead. And when he had 
understood it by the centurion, he gave the body to 
Joseph." (Mark, xv, 44.) Now, combining these 
two remarkable facts together, namely, the com- 
paratively short time that our blessed Lord 
lived upon the cross, and the physical strength of 
body which His twice-repeated loud cries proved 
Him to possess, we must again come to the con- 
clusion that His death must have been caused by 
the rupture of His sacred heart. This supposition 
explains fully and satisfactorily the rapidity and 
suddenness of our Saviour's death. This also en- 
ables us to understand the natural cause of the 
loud cry uttered by our blessed Lord immediately 



Christ" s Heart is Broken. 525 



before His death : " Father, into thy hands I commend 
my spirit!' 

III. Medical men agree in asserting that persons 
dying by laceration, or rupture of the heart, utter a 
loud cry. The eminent author, Dr. Walshe, Pro- 
fessor of Medicine in University College, London, 
England, when treating of the symptoms indicating 
death by rupture of the heart, observes : " The hand 
is suddenly carried to the front of the chest, the 
seat of the pain, and a piercing shriek is uttered by 
the patient. " 

Mental emotions and passions are we'll known by 
all to*affeet the vital actions of the heart, producing 
violent palpitations, faintness and swoon. Medical 
authorities who have written on the affections of 
this vital organ of man, affirm that these emotions 
and passions, when in overwhelming excess, occa- 
sionally produce laceration, or rupture, of the heart. 
But, Christian reader, if ever human heart was 
riven and ruptured by the excessive amount of ex- 
ternal bodily sufferings united to an overwhelming 
anguish of mind, it would surely be the sacred 
heart of our crucified Redeemer. During those 
dark and dreadful hours of bitter passion and terrible 
crucifixion, when heaven and earth, men and devils, 
had conspired to oppress His most holy soul under a 
huge mountain of crushing anguish ; when abandoned 
by His Father to a most painful dereliction, which 
forced from His agonizing soul this affecting cry, 
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me;" 
when deserted by His apostles, derided, insulted 
blasphemed by those for whose sake He was dying; 
when, being made a curse for our sake, He bore our 
grief, and carried our sorrows, and suffered for 
our sins the malediction of God and man ; when the 
sorrows of death surrounded Him, and the torrents 
of iniquity troubled His soul, and the torments 
of hell encompassed His sacred humanity : — ah ! 
indeed, if ever human heart should break asunder, 
it was most certainly the sacred heart of Jesus 



526 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



crushed under the overwhelming load of the world's 
iniquities. " / am afflicted and humbled exceedingly; I 
roared with the groaning of my heart. My sorrow is 
above sorrow. I looked for one that would grieve with 
me, but there was none ; and for one that would com- 
fort me, and I found none." (Ps. lxviii, 22.) " My 
heart is broken within me." 



Third Point. 

The serious importance of this subject should be 
our justification for quoting the following lines- from 
Cardinal Wiseman.* " Several eminent writers " he 
says, " have occupied themselves, if we may so ex- 
press ourselves, with the physiology of our Saviour's 
passion. Such were Scheuchzer, Mead, Bartolinus, 
Vogler, Triller, Richter, and, more lately and more 
fully, the two Gruners, father and son. These 
different authors have collected together all that 
medical analogies could furnish towards establish- 
ing the character of our Saviour's death. 

" They have shown that the torments of the cruci- 
fixion in their nature were fearful, not merely from 
the outward wounds inflicted, and from the painful 
posture of the body ; but also from the effects of 
this position upon the circulation of the blood, and 
other ordinary functions of life. The pressure upon 
the main artery, or aorta, must, according to 
Richter, f have impeded the free course of the blood, 
and by disabling it from receiving all that was fur- 
nished by the left ventricle or side of the heart must 
have prevented the blood from the lungs being re- 
turned. ' By these circumstances a congestion and 
effort must have been produced in the right ventricle 
or side of the heart more intolerable than any pain 
and than death itself.' " 

Let us be allowed to observe here that the emi- 



* Lect. V, "Conn. Bet. Science and Revealed Religion." 
t George G. Richter, Dissert. Medica. Gotting. 1775. 



Christ ' s Heart is Broken. 



527 



nent cardinal, and the learned Christian authors 
whom he quotes in his famous work, did not con- 
sider it detracting from our Saviour's divine dignity 
to explain and prove His death from natural causes. 
In fact, if the eternal Word of God in His incarnation 
used created agencies in the assumption of His 
human body, and employed natural means for the 
preservation of His human life, we should not be 
surprised that He allowed some natural agency tc 
become the immediate cause of His death upon the 
cross. Our dear Lord did so, not by causing His 
own death, but by permitting the hatred and malice 
of His enemies to nail His sacred body to the cross, 
wherein, through His preternatural sufferings caused 
by the exquisite refinement and sensibility of His 
human nature, and by the impeded circulation of 
thp blood, His heart should naturally burst, and 
cause His immediate death. This fact, if not posi- 
tively asserted, is certainly implied in the following 
words of Dr. Richter: " The pulmonary and other 
veins and arteries about the heart and chest, by the 
abundance of blood flowing thither, and accumulat- 
ing there, must have added frightful bodily sufferings 
to the anguish of mind, produced by the overpower- 
ing burden of our sins," (Ibid.) 

What wonder, then, if this congestion, this effort 
caused by the surcharge of blood violently forced 
to the right ventricle of our Saviour's heart, made 
it, through excessive pain of body, and overpower- 
ing anguish of mind, to rend, and burst, and cause 
His death? But we are not left to conjectures. 
Cardinal Wiseman, in his second Pastoral addressed 
to the faithful of his archdiocese of Westminster, 
and ordered to be read publicly in the church, has 
the following words: "From that heart were fur- 
nished those tears wherewith He wept over the un- 
repenting ; that mysterious dew which started from 
His pores as He lay prostrate in Gethsemani ; that 
full flow of sacred blood, which poured out from 
the four great wounds on Calvary ; that mystical 



528 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



stream of regeneration which issued from His 
blessed side, pierced by the lance. And His death 
even ! what was it, but the very breaking and burst- 
ing of the sacred vessel itself, that not one drop of 
its divine treasure might be withheld from man?" 
(Card. Wiseman, Pastoral II, on the Mysteries of the 
Sacred Heart.) 

We have a confirmation of this fact in the gash 
made in the side of our crucified Lord after His 
death, by the thrust of the Roman soldier's spear, 
whence blood and water issued forth, St. John 
says : "One of the soldiers opened his side with a spear ; 
and immediately there came out blood and water" 
(John, xix, 34.) Nothing can naturally account for 
the appearance of this blood and water, except a 
collection of blood effused into the distended sac 
of the pericardium in consequence of the previous 
internal rupture of the sacred heart of our dear 
Saviour."^ 

The serious consideration of this appalling view 
of the mode by which death was produced in the 
human body of Jesus Christ, intensifies all our 
thoughts and affections regarding the immensity of 
the astounding sacrifice which He made upon the 
cross for our sinful race. Nothing can possibly be 
more striking and startling than the awful and ter- 
rible passiveness with which our divine Saviour 
submitted, for our sake, His sensitive and delicate 
body to all the horrors and tortures of the cruci- 
fixion. But our wonder at the stupendous sacrifice 
immeasurably increases, when we reflect that, while 
thus enduring for our sins the most cruel and ago- 
nizing form of corporal death, our divine Lord was 
ultimately slain, not by the effects of His bodily 
sufferings, but by the excess of the mightier anguish 
of His mind, the fleshy walls of His heart, like the 
veil in the temple of His body, becoming rent and 

* The Blessed Virgin Mary revealed to St. Bridget that the heart of 
our crucified Lord burst through excess of anguish. (Lib. iv, Revel, 
c. 70.) 



Christ's Heart is Broken, 



529 



riven, thus pouring out His most holy soul unto 
death for our sake. Oh ! how the anguish of the 
great soul of our divine Saviour, in that awful hour, 
which embraced and expressed an eternity, appears 
more bitter and more dreadful, when we reflect 
that it broke His most sacred heart, and caused His 
death upon the cross. "Surely" we can with the 
prophet exclaim, "Jesus has borne our infirmities, 
and carried our sorrows. . . . The Lord hath laid up- 
on him the iniquities of us all. . . . His soul hath labored. 
. . . He hath delivered his soul -unto death." (Isa., liii.) 

His most holy heart is rent and riven to manifest 
to us the excess of His love, and to open a secure 
refuge for our soul. For, no safer shelter can be 
found for us than within the open heart of our 
crucified Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 



Prayer. 

Heart of Jesus, broken with love and sorrow for 
my sake ! I adore and thank Thee. I adore Thee as 
the sanctuary of the Divinity, and the tabernacle of 
the incarnate Word. During thirty-four y ears Thou 
hast been the hidden furnace of Jesus' love for me. 
It was Thy fire divine which He came to cast upon 
earth, and He so ardently desired to see enkindled 
in the hearts of all men. Burst by the violence of 
this fire, inflame my cold heart with Thy love, purify 
it, detach it from all creatures, sanctify it for thy- 
self, that I may live and die for Thee, who lived and 
died for me. 

Most holy Lady of the Sacred Heart, from whom , 
the most holy heart of Jesus was formed, and in 
whom it was moulded ! you, who felt the first pulsa- 
tions of its life, and experienced the first effusions of 
its divine love, teach me, help me, to love, adore, and 
thank the adorable heart of your divine Son, during 
time and eternity. 

23 



53^ The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXXIII. CONSIDERATION. 



MANIFOLD PRODIGIES AT THE DEATH OF JESUS. 
/ Voice of Jesus. 

My child, be not surprised if after my death I can 
yet speak to thee : "Fear not : I am the first and 
the last ; I am alive, and was dead: and behold I am 
living for ever and ever, and have the keys of death 
and of hell." (Apoc., i, 18.) I will explain to thee 
my present condition through a familiar parable. 
Hast thou, my child, ever seen a military officer 
with his sword at his left side bound round His 
waist? When duty requires, he draws the sword 
from the scabbard with his right hand, and lifts it 
up in the air. In this attitude both the empty scab- 
bard and the uplifted sword remain united to, and 
are supported by, his animated body. It is generally 
in this commanding position that any great military 
officer gives his most pressing orders to his soldiers 
especially in time of battle. Such is the case with 
me. I am the eternal Word who assumed a human 
soul and body, and united both inseparably to my 
divine person. During my human life the body was 
the rich scabbard of my precious soul. With the 
right hand of my divine power, I have on this cross 
drawn the soul out of it. But both remain united 
with me, as the unsheathed scabbard and glittering 
sword remain united with the officer's person. As 
the military officer, after having won the battle, re- 
turns with great satisfaction his victorious sword to 
the sheath at his side ; so I will, in less than three 
days, restore my faithful and victorious soul to her 
wounded and lifeless body, and both will be for- 
ever honored, glorified and exalted. 

Before, however, I do this, I will accomplish the 



Prodigies at the Death of Jesus. 



53* 



conquest of this world, and make all creatures 
tremble at my voice, and be subject to my dominion. 
Behold, then, my child, I have, with the sword of 
my spirit, " cut and rent in two from the top to the 
bottom the vtil of the temple in Jerusalem." (Matt., 
xxvii, 51; Mark, xv, 38.) The whole earth trem- 
bles and quakes, and the rocks are rent at a word of 
my Majesty. The graves are opened at my com- 
mand, and many bodies of my dead servants come 
out alive to worship me, and to proclaim the power 
of my Divinity. (Matt., xxvii, 52.) Consider well 
these prodigies, my child, and admire my power. 



First Point. 

" Behold the veil of the temple was rent in two 
from the top even to the bottom." (Matt., xxvii, 51.) 

L Consider the great miracle wrought by our 
divine Lord immediately after His death in rending 
the great veil of the Temple. The famous Temple 
of Jerusalem built very solidly of large square stones, 
was interiorly divided into three parts. The com- 
mon people were admitted into the first and lowest 
portion of the Temple, where the sacrifices were 
offered. The second was divided from this by a 
veil, and only the priests and Levites were allowed 
to enter and officiate there. The third was the 
most sacred portion of the great Temple. This was 
again divided from the two other portions by a 
thicker, larger and more precious veil. This was 
the holy of holies. The Ark of the Covenant was 
formerly kept within this sacred place, wherein, 
once a year only, the supreme pontiff alone was 
allowed to penetrate. It was this famous veil that 
was rent from top to bottom at the death of our 
blessed Lord. 

This must be considered a great miracle. In 
fact, this veil in the first place was very large. It 
covered all the vast nave of the Temple from side to 



532 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



side, and from the ceiling to the floor. It had been 
made with great skill and labor by carefully sewing 
together different linen sheets of various colors one 
over the other. " Thou shalt make a veil of violet 
and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted 
linen, wrought with embroidered work and goodly 
variety. . . . The veil shall be hanged on with rings, 
and within it thou shalt put the ark of the testimony, 
and the sanctuary and the holy of holies shall be 
divided by it." (Exod., xxvi, 31.) This immense 
sheet was strengthened by large ropes placed at the 
top and bottom, and at proportionate distances 
transversely from side to side, and also from top to 
bottom, upon which it had been securely and 
strongly fastened with great art and skill. In short, 
it was intended to last as long as the walls of the 
Temple, built with the most solid masonry. A veil 
of this nature, with all those strong ropes, could not 
be rent in a moment, from top to bottom, by any 
natural cause. It was, therefore, a great miracle. 
This miracle was public and visible to all. The 
Jewish priests, who at that hour were offering the 
evening sacrifice, were the witnesses of the prodigy 
at which they were astonished. The holy evange- 
lists were so certain of this event that they related it 
in the presence of those who had seen it with their 
own eyes. No Jew ever attempted to contradict 
the holy apostles or evangelists. 

St. Jerome, extremely well informed in Jewish 
history, states that not only the veil of the holy of 
holies was rent, but also the principal arch at the 
entrance of the Temple, which was of extraordinary 
thickness and solidity. Moreover, upon the author- 
ity of Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, the 
same learned and holy father adds that, at the 
moment in which the veil was rent, miraculous voices 
were heard in the Temple, saying : " Let us depart 
from this place " — " Transeamus ex his sedibus" (St. 
Hieron. Epist. 150, ad Hedibiam.) 

Consider now the practical object and motive of 



Prodigies at the Death of Jesus. 



533 



this surprising miracle, wrought at the death of our 
Saviour, in rending the veil. 

The Jewish religion was the shadow of Christian- 
ity. It was a religion of types and figures. St. 
Paul says: " All these things happened to them in 
figure" (i Cor., x, n.) The thick veil of the Temple 
completely concealing not only from the gaze of the 
Jewish people, but also from the sight of their 
priests and Levites, the holy of holies, was the most 
striking figure of the whole Jewish religion. The 
death of our Lord realized all the types, and, by 
introducing Christianity, removed all the mysterious 
figures of the Old Testament. As the sacred body 
of our Saviour, which was the veil of His incarnate 
Divinity, had, by the cruel and impious hands of the 
Jews, been rent and torn all over with wounds, and 
His very heart had been burst by pain and anguish ; 
so at His death their sacred and mysterious veil was 
riven from top to bottom. We may learn from this 
that "God is just, and his judgment is right " (Ps. cxviii, 
137), " because he renders to every one according to 
his works" (Ecclus., xvi, 15-.) 

II. In the second place the rending of the veil 
signified the opening of the gate of heaven for the 
admission to eternal glory of all just souls, which, 
previous to the death of our divine Redeemer, had 
been shut on account of the sin of Adam. 

III. Thirdly, it was also a sign that, since the 
death of incarnate wisdom, the key of knowledge 
was left to His Church for the understanding of 
Christian truth. " To you," our Lord said to His dis- 
ciples, " to you it is given to know the mystery of the 
kingdom of God ; but to the rest of men in parables." 
(Luke, vii}, 10.) In fact, after His resurrection He 
more fully u opened the understanding of his apostles 
and disciples that they might understand the Scriptures" 
(Luke, xxiv, 45.) 

IV. The veil of the Temple was rent from top 
to bottom, to make the perfidious and obstinate 
Jews understand that their Temple, in the best way 



534 



7 he Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



possible, was mourning for the death of the Mes- 
siah, and, by rending its most august and precious 
ornament, deplored and detested their cruelties, 
impiety, and blasphemies against the divine Saviour 
of mankind. 

V. Lastly, the rending of the veil, and the conse- 
quent opening of the holy of holies, is a moral les- 
son to all Christians. We are taught to open our 
mind to truth, our heart to charity, our hands to 
works of mercy, our tongue to an open and candid 
confession of all our sins, and never to attempt to 
cover our vices and imperfections with the veil of 
hypocrisy. u Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, 
which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that 
shall not be revealed ; nor hidden that shall not be 
known" (Luke, xii, I.) 

Second Point. 

" The earth quaked, the rocks were rent, the graves 
were opened, and many bodies of the saints that had 
slept, arose, and coming out of the tombs after his 
resurrection, came into the holy city and appeared 
to many" (Matt., xxvii, 52.) 

I. Consider here that the very earth received a 
shock, and quaked with horror at the death of her 
Creator. What are thy sentiments, Christian soul, 
in hearing, reading or thinking about the passion 
and death of thy divine Saviour ? Is thy soul more 
insensible than the earth, and thy heart harder than 
rocks ? Reflect that the earth and stones are a strik- 
ing figure of the miserable condition of a sinner. 
The earth is naturally cold, filthy and barren, and 
will produce nothing of itself but thorns and thistles, 
briers, weeds, wild plants and trees. To render 
it fruitful, it must be tilled with labor by the hands 
of men, and has to be moistened with the sweat 
of their brows. Stones are hard, heavy, and 
troublesome. Such is the earth of man's heart 



Prodigies at the Death of Jesus. 



535 



Since the fall of Adam and the curse of sin, our 
heart is cold, filthy, and barren. It is only by hard 
labor and continual exertions that we can make it 
produce worthy fruits of penance and of virtues. 
If we neglect it in sloth, it will produce nothing 
else to us but weeds and briers, thistles and thorns, 
which will prick our conscience ; and the hard stones 
of sin will rapidly accumulate in such heaps, that 
they will oppress our souls, and render our life 
miserable in time and eternity. May the death 
of Christ shake this earth, and break in sorrow and 
contrition our hearts of stone ! 

II. Look, Christian reader, behold ! the sepulchral 
stones are removed, for the graves are opened. 
It is an invitation to thee and to me to think of 
death. Visit a cemetery ; kneel by the grave of a 
relation or friend. Listen to his words from the 
tomb. What I am, thou shalt soon be. Earth to 
the earth, flesh to corruption, food of vermin and 
maggots: " For dust thou art, and unto dust thou 
shalt return." (Gen., iii, 19.) Be not deceived : 
" God is not mocked. For what things a man shall 
sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth 
in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption." 
(Gal., vi, 8.) In order to rise in the glory of im- 
mortality like the many bodies of the saints men- 
tioned above, we should live like the saints: " For 
he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life 
everlasting." (Gal., ibid.) 

III. Consider here the trophies of our Saviour's 
victory after His death. His blessed soul, on the 
wings of the Divinity, went to the limbo of the 
Fathers to cheer with its presence the souls of the 
just, and to deliver them from their long confine- 
ment. Many of these happy souls were restored to 
their bodies ; and full of life and glory, they came 
out of their monument, and after our Saviour's re- 
surrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and 
appeared to many. We should reflect that many, 
but not all, of the souls of the just were allowed 



536 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



to return to their respective bodies ; neither were 
these allowed to appear to every person in the city 
of Jerusalem. Only a certain number appeared in 
a visible manner, and visited those persons who 
were, by their previous conduct and present dispo- 
sitions, prepared to profit by this extraordinary 
mission. This unusual message was very likely in- 
trusted by our Saviour to those faithful souls who 
received Him during His life, believed in Him, and 
could be well remembered by those surviving per- 
sons to whom they were sent on this embassy of 
mercy. Hence, we may piously believe that, besides 
some of the principal patriarchs and prophets, 
among these risen saints were St. Zachary, St. 
Elizabeth, St. Simeon, St. Anna, and especially St. 
Joseph, the foster-father of our blessed Lord. More- 
over, according to St. Paul, many other holy persons 
who had died and were buried outside of Judea, 
were raised from death on this occasion, to give 
testimony of Jesus Christ in different parts of the 
world, which may account for the rapid progress 
of the Gospel at the subsequent preaching of the 
apostles. (Heb., xi.) 

Let us sincerely from our hearts rejoice with our 
blessed Lord and Saviour that His passion and 
death has been to Him so soon the cause of so much 
glory and power, and of so much joy and happiness 
to numberless millions of blessed souls. May our 
divine Jesus be forever praised, honored and glori- 
fied ! May all the saints of heaven intercede with 
Him in our behalf! 



Third Point. 

I. " Now the centurion, and they that were with him 
watching Jesus, having seen the earth quake and the 
things that were done, were greatly afraid, saying : In- 
deed this was the Son of God!' (Matt., xxvii, 54.) 
Consider here the efficacy of our Lord's prayer on 



Prodigies at the Death of Jesus. 



537 



the cross in behalf of His enemies, when He said : 
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 
Behold, the centurion, or captain of the Roman 
soldiers, who presided at the threefold execution 
on Calvary, seeing the prodigies that were wrought 
at the death of our blessed Saviour, both he and his 
soldiers, so brave and intrepid in war, were on this 
occasion struck with fear. Even His executioners 
feel that there is something sublime and awful in 
the death of Jesus. Their fear makes them reflect, 
reflection begets wisdom, and true wisdom brings 
forth faith. "For the fear of God is the beginning of 
zuisdom," (Ecclus., i, 16), and the wisdom of God 
is truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. 
This military officer with his soldiers came to Him 
as messengers of death, but, through his prayer and 
mercy, they found truth and life in Him. May all 
the present enemies of Christ, and the persecutors 
of His holy Church, be soon converted like the 
Roman centurion and his soldiers. O divine Jesus ! 
may your prayer of mercy be extended to them, 
may it penetrate their souls, and melt their stony 
hearts in sincere contrition. "Father, forgive them, 
for they know not what they do!' 

When we behold on Calvary gentile idolaters, 
pagan officers and soldiers, wicked men and bloody 
executioners converted round the cross of our 
merciful Saviour, we will not despair of any sinner. 
We should observe that the Roman centurion and 
his soldiers, who had crucified our Saviour, were 
the first to be converted after His death. This was 
an indication of what would happen with the Roman 
empire. The Roman emperors, in the person ot 
Pilate, condemned our Lord to death, and his con- 
demnation was put in execution by their soldiers ; 
but these soldiers were converted, and Pilate also, 
according to Tertullian and St. Augustine.* So 
the Roman emperors, beginning with Constantine 



*Tertul. Apologia, c. 21. St. August. Serm. iii de Epiph. ex 
Ventura. 



538 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



the Great, were converted to Christianity with the 
entire Roman Empire, and Rome became the 
capital of the Christian world. Behold how 
triumph after triumph follows the death of the 
Author of life ! 

II. "And. all the multitude of them that were come 
together to that sight, and saw the things that were 
done, returned striking their breasts" (Luke, xxiii, 
48.) The Jews, who had persecuted our Sav- 
iour, who had derided and blasphemed Him on 
the cross, are not entirely abandoned by our 
Saviour's mercy. They begin to experience the 
efficacy of his prayer, and the salutary effects of 
His death. They strike their guilty breasts in 
sorrow and contrition. But, if they believe with 
the heart, they do not, like the Roman soldiers, make 
a profession of their faith with their mouth. Both 
conditions are necessary to salvation. " For with 
the heart we believe unto justice, but with the mouth 
confession is made unto salvation." (Rom., x. 10.) This 
essential doctrine was taught to the Romans by 
St. Paul. 



Prayer. 

Divine Jesus ! whilst I behold Thy lifeless body on 
the cross, I believe that Thou art the Author of 
life, grace and mercy. Remove from my eyes the 
veil that hides the deformity of my sins ; break my 
stony heart with contrition, and draw out of my con- 
science, through an humble and candid confession, 
every sin that may still be buried therein, that I 
may, with Thy saints, rise to a new life of grace 
and fervor. 

Extend Thy mercy, sweet Saviour, to all man- 
kind. Rend the veil of paganism and of heresy, that 
all may see the beauty and holiness of Thy truth. 
With the hammer of Thy fear, and the power 
of Thy grace, break the flinty hearts of all sinners, 



Prodigies at the Death of Jesus. 539 



that all may be converted to Thee, and glorify 
Thy holy name. 

Refuge of sinners, Mother of mercy, standing 
so heroically at the foot of the cross of your cruci- 
fied Son! turn your eyes of compassion on the 
miserable children of Eve, who are now intrusted 
to your maternal love and care. Obtain through 
your grief, tears and prayers, the grace of a general 
conversion of all mankind, that, as your divine Son 
died for the salvation of all men, so all men may be 
saved through your powerful intercession, and thus 
glorify Him with you for all eternity. 



540 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXXIV. CONSIDERATION. 



THE SIDE OF JESUS IS PIERCED WITH A SPEAR. 
Voice of Jesus. 

Consider, my child, the words of my beloved and 
faithful disciple John, who, in company with my 
most holy Mother, followed me to Mount Calvary, 
was the witness of my agony and death, and re- 
mained steadfast near my cross, observing every- 
thing that was said or done to me. Peruse, my 
child, the history of my passion in his Gospel, and 
thou wilt read there these words. 

Then the Jews, because it was Parasceve, or the 
eve of the Jewish paschal solemnity, that the bodies 
of those who had been crucified on this day might 
not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath-day, for 
that was a day of great solemnity, besought Pilate 
that their legs might be broken, and that they 
might be taken away and buried. The soldiers 
therefore came ; and they broke the legs of the two 
thieves who had been crucified with me. But 
when they came to me, and saw that I was already 
dead, they did not break my legs, that the Scripture 
might be fulfilled, which says : " You shall not break 
a bone of him." (Exod., xii, 46; Num., ix, 12.) But 
one of the soldiers opened my side with a spear, and 
immediately there came out blood and water. (John, 
xix, 31.) Consider well, my child, these words of 
truth of my faithful disciple, and thou wilt learn new 
mysteries of my wisdom, power and goodness. 



Jesus' Side Pierced with a Spear. 



541 



First Point. 

1. Consider the motives which the Jews had in 
breaking the legs of the crucified. They did so out 
of respect for the solemnity of the following day, 
which, being Saturday, was not only their ordinary 
weekly feast, as Sunday is for the Christians, but it 
was also for them the great annual paschal solemnity. 
In this case the Jews acted from the same motive 
which made them refuse to enter the pretorium of 
Pilate, who was a gentile, lest they might contract a 
legal impurity, and thus be prevented from eating 
the paschal lamb. However, these men, apparently 
so zealous for religion, had no scruple in calumniat- 
ing our innocent Saviour, and in forcing Pilate to 
condemn Him to death. 

See here how men, with some form of religion, 
easily deceive themselves by the observance of 
certain exterior practices 01 devotion, believing 
that the perfection of law and virtue consists in 
them, without entering into the true spirit of 
piety, which should animate, accompany and guide 
them, to render them acceptable to (rod. These 
external observances of religion are compatible 
with habits of sin and vice, and are often used 
as a cloak for concealing secret crimes from the 
eyes and suspicion of men. Besides, many deluded 
Christians, like those Jews, deceive themselves in 
believing that, through some external practices of 
religion, they fulfil all its essential duties. Persons, 
who, like the scribes and Pharisees, have by their 
profession of life to practise more frequently certain 
external acts of divine worship, are more liable to 
fall into this fatal mistake. " Woe to you" our divine 
Master said, — " woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- 
crites ; because you make clean the outside of the cup and 
of the dish, but within you are full of extortion and 
uncleanness. Thou blind Pharisee, first make clean the 
inside of the cup and of the dish. Woe to you, scribes 



542 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



and Pharisees hypocrites, because you are like to whited 
sepulchres ) which outwardly appear to men beautiful, 
but within are full of dead men s bones, and of all 
filthiness." (Matt., xxiii, 25.) Let us carefully avoid 
the delusion of the Jews, if we sincerely desire to 
escape the reproach and the condemnation of our 
Lord. Let us remember that it is not the letter of 
the law, but its spirit, that gives life to the soul. 
"For," St. Paul says, "the letter killeth, but the spirit 
giveth life:' (2 Cor., iii, 6.) "God is a spirit," our 
Lord says, " and they that adore him, must adore him 
in spirit and in truth!' (John, iv, 24.) The begin- 
ning, the essence, and the end of religion, is charity, 
which is the bond of union, and the perfection of 
all law. 

II. Reflect, also, that the legs of both thieves were 
broken by the Jews. The bad and obstinate thief, 
who so w^ell represented them, in imitation of their 
example, and to gain their sympathy and favor, had 
blasphemed our crucified Saviour. But now he 
has to suffer at their hands the same deadly torture 
that his converted companion has to endure. Both 
have to suffer ; but how differently ! The sufferings 
of the bad thief are aggravated by his disappointed 
hope, by his present impatience, and by the dread 
of imminent and eternal punishment. He impiously 
blasphemed our divine Saviour to please the Jews, 
hoping to be delivered by them from the cross, or 
at least to obtain their sympathy. He is disap- 
pointed in his expectations, and has to suffer the 
same torments and death as the good thief. But 
this latter, strengthened by the example, the prayer, 
the grace, the promise of our blessed Lord, can suffer 
not only with perfect resignation and patience, but 
also with interior joy ; for, through his present suf- 
ferings, he atones for his past sins, and increases the 
store of his merits, and through his death he is cer- 
tain to enter paradise on that very day in company 
with divine Jesus. This is the true wisdom of the 
saints. All their hope is in God, and not in men. 



Jesus Side Pierced with a Spear. 



543 



Hence, they never feel the disappointment of failure, 
because they know that he who "trusteth in the Lord 
shall never be confounded" It is a double source of 
wisdom to learn a good lesson from both the failure 
of the wicked, and the success of the good. 

Second Point. 

"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he 
was already dead, they did not break his legs" 

I. Having broken the legs of the two crucified 
thieves, and through this horrible torment caused 
their death, the Jews turned to execute the same 
cruelty upon our Saviour. According to some 
authors, this was the principal object of the Jews in 
asking permission from the Roman governor to 
break the legs of the three crucified men. In their 
malice they desired to inflict this last torture on 
our crucified Lord and Saviour. Euthymius says: 
61 At last the executioners, to please the Jews, came 
to inflict this contumelious torment upon Jesus." 
(A. Lapide in Joan, xix, 33.) But they had no 
other power over His sacred body than what He 
was pleased to allow them to exercise. Jesus would 
not allow any of the bones in His body to be 
broken ; because such was the express decree of 
God. "They shall not break a bone thereof." (Num., 
ix, 12.) 

II. Learn two practical lessons from this fact. 
1st. " That the malice and wickedness of evil men 

and seducers," as St. . Paul says, " like the pride and 
malice of the devils, shall grow worse and worse: erring 
and driving into error." (2 Tim., iii, 13.) Corruption 
naturally begets more corruption. The weight of 
sin, of its innate tendency, drags into another more 
grievous crime. By the commission of a mortal 
sin the soul is deprived of the life and strength of 
grace, evil passions are excited in the heart, whilst 
the spirit is too weak to resist, and thus, like a 



544 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



stone rolling down a steep hill, man falls from abyss 
to abyss. We behold this maxim of morality ex- 
emplified in the conduct of the Jews in relation to 
our blessed Saviour. Daily experience confirms this 
truth. We should learn at the expense of others, 
if we have not already to deplore our own, to 
resist the tempter and the temptation in the be- 
ginning, and the devil will be forced to retire in 
defeat. " Be subject to God, but resist the devil, and he 
will fly from you." (James, iv, 7.) 

2d. The second lesson which, for our consolation, 
we should learn from the unsuccessful attempt of the 
Jews at breaking the legs of our crucified Saviour, 
is that the power of devils and of evil men is limited 
by the omnipotent hand of God. He, who said to 
the stormy ocean, " Hitherto thou shalt come, and shalt 
go no farther ; and here thou shalt break thy swelling 
waves 1 (Job, xxxviii, 11), has also said : "To evil men 
corrupted in mind, and to seducers, reprobate as to the 
faith, they shall proceed no farther. For their folly shall 
be manifest to ally (2 Tim., iii, 9.) "Hearken to me, you 
that know what is just, my people, who have my law in 
your heart : fear not ye the reproach of men ; and be not 
afraid of their blasphemies. For the worm shall eat 
them up as a garment ; and the moth shall consume them 
as wool ; but my salvation shall be forever, and my justice 
from generation to generation." (Isa., li, 7, 8.) 



Third Point. 

" But one of the soldiers opened his side with a spear ; 
and immediately there came out blood and water." 
(John, xix, 34.) 

Consider, devout soul, the nature and the object 
of this wound in the side of our Saviour dead upon 
the cross. 

I. The infinite wisdom of God knew that the 
malice of some men would refuse to believe in the 
incarnation of the eternal Word. In fact, not only 



Jesus Side Pierced with a Spear. 



545 



the Jews as a nation refused to believe in the Mes- 
siah, but heretics have been found among Christians 
Avho denied that the Son of God ever assumed a 
real human body. They impiously taught that our 
Lord took an aerial body, a phantom, and that He 
appeared upon earth in the figure of a human 
being, and seemed to suffer and to die, whilst in 
reality He neither suffered nor died. 
1 Now, the hand of the Roman soldier with his spear 
confutes more triumphantly the gross absurdity of 
this impious error than any theological writer could 
do. The soldier was not fighting the air, but pierced 
the side of a human body, when blood and water 
came from it. This last wound in the side of our 
dead Saviour was inflicted by the malice of men ; 
but God permitted it as a demonstration of the 
reality of His human body. It was a merciful 
operation to open the eyes of their blind infidelity. 
"These men," says St. John Chrysostom, " pierced 
the side of Jesus through hatred, but in spite of 
their malice they proclaimed a truth, and realized 
a prophecy, which says: 'They shall behold him 
whom they have pierced : 1 " — Zach., xii, io. (St. Joan. 
Chrys. Homil. 84, in Joan.) 

This wound confutes another impiety of modern 
infidelity. Many infidel writers of the last and 
present century, seeing an irrefragable proof of our 
Saviour's divinity, and, consequently, of the divinity 
of the Christian religion, in the glorious miracle of 
His resurrection, have abused the sacred name of 
science in their vain attempts to contradict faith. 
Admitting the reality of His human nature, they 
deny the fact of His death. * This wound in our 
Saviour's right side was inflicted by the Roman 
soldier with such violence and strength, that the 
spear, piercing through His heart, penetrated the 
left side of His sacred body.f The pictures of the 

* See Card. Wiseman, Lect. V, Connect, between Science and Re- 
vealed Religion. 

t Revel. St. Brigit. lib. i, v, 7, 15.) 



546 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Sacred Heart of our Lord show this wound. The 
opening of this wound was so wide that, even after 
our Lord's resurrection, St. Thomas could thrust 
his whole hand into it. " Jesus saith to Thomas: 
Bring hither thy hand and put it into my side, and be 
not incredulous, but faithful." (John, xx, 27.) Such a 
wound was more than sufficient to cause the death 
of any man. Behold here how the wisdom of God 
triumphs over the malice of Jews and pagans, and* 
over the impiety of ancient and modern infidels. 
" The wicked man impudently hardeneth his face. . . . 
But there is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no 
counsel against the Lord." (Prov., xxi, 29.) This large 
wound of our Saviours side proves at once the 
fact of His death on the cross, and the reality of 
His glorious resurrection from the grave. 

II. Our blessed Lord having so easily triumphed 
over His enemies, turns His loving attention to His 
Church. The Fathers of the Church are in admira- 
tion at the mysteries of love manifested through the 
wound of our Saviour's side. " Hinc habent ortum 
sacra mysteria," St. John Chrysostom says. The 
insult offered to our blessed Lord after His death 
is by Him made an occasion of new prodigies. 
"Contumelia in miraculum vertitur," say Euthymius 
and Theophilactus. (Ex A Lapide.) 

"As God miraculously formed Eve from Adam's 
rib whilst he was asleep, so, from the side of our 
Saviour dead upon the cross, He formed the Church, 
who is the Spouse of Jesus. From the dead body 
of our crucified Lord the life of Christianity is de- 
rived. Water and blood issued forth from His sacred 
side that we may be washed and cleansed from all sins 
through the regenerating water of baptism,, and 
may be redeemed and nourished through the august 
sacrament of His body and blood in the holy 
Eucharist." (St. Ambrose, in Luc, xxiii.) 

St. John Chrysostom justly remarks that, " as the 
Church of Christ is formed and preserved through 
the seven sacraments, Ecclesia et fit et consistit per 



Jesus Side Pierced with a Spear. 



547 



sacramental so, St. Augustine says, the origin and 
the efficacy of the sacraments are derived from the 
sacred side and heart of Jesus opened for our salva- 
tion with a lance." (A Lapide in Joan., xix, 34.) 

III. Finally, we should observe that, as this wound 
was the last that our divine Lord received in His 
sacred body, so He reserved it for the special 
benefit of His holy Church in these latter times. 
He came from heaven upon earth on different 
occasions to show the large and deep wound of 
His sacred heart to His favorite servant, Blessed 
Margaret Mary Alacoque, urging her to promote 
this devotion among the faithful. He manifested to 
her the ardor of His love for men. He discovered 
to her the immense treasures of His grace stored up 
in His sacred heart for all those who would prac- 
tise this most holy devotion, so pleasing to Him. To 
the devout worshippers of His sacred Heart our Lord 
promised special blessings. (Life of B. Margaret.) 
Blessed Jesus opened His heart for the comfort and 
consolation of all souls in temptation and affliction. 
Stretching forth His arms, and pointing with His 
glorified hand to His opened side, He says: " Come 
to me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will 
refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of 
me that I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall 
find rest to your souls!" (Matt., xi, 28.) This most 
holy heart is the sweet fountain foretold by the 
prophet Isaias, whence the devout soul will draw 
the life-giving waters of grace, joy and salvation. 
" You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour s 
fountains" (Isa., xii, 3.) 

This sacred heart is the earthly paradise of the 
Church, the garden of Eden of Christian souls, where 
they will enjoy every spiritual delight. It is the 
rock-bound haven, the safe harbor for the bark of 
Peter in the stormy ocean of this world agitated by 
the gales of infidelity, and by the billow r s of wicked- 
ness. This noble ship, this ark of the new covenant 
with all the faithful, will enjoy the calm of peace, the 



5 48 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

security of rest, the special blessings of God in the 
love of Jesus, as soon as by an universal and solemn 
act of worship she will take shelter within the sa- 
cred heart of her divine Spouse. As the dove that 
came out of Noah's ark, had to return to it in order 
to obtain food and rest ; so the Church that came out 
on Calvary from the open side of Jesus crucified, will 
have to return to His sacred heart to find peace 
and rest from the persecutions of impious and un- 
grateful men. For the heart of Jesus is the gate 
of heaven. It is the Alpha and Omega, the begin- 
ning and the end of all things. (Apoc, i, 8.) Hence, 
St. Augustine justly observes : "The holy evangelist, 
St. John, has used a very wise expression in saying, 
that the Roman soldier opened the side of our cruci- 
fied Saviour. He did not say that he struck or 
wounded it with the spear, but he opened it, to signify 
that the Sacred Heart is the gate of heaven opened 
for all those who wish to enter into the kingdom of 
everlasting life and bliss." (St. August., tract. 120, in 
Joan.) 

May the devotion and fervent prayers of pious 
souls accelerate the advent of this glorious and 
happy day for the complete honor of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, and to the everlasting praise and 
glory of the adorable Trinity, Father, Son and Holy 
Ghost, three Persons in one God, world without 
end ! Amen. 



Prayer. 

Sacred side of my crucified Saviour, opened with 
a lance that I may see through it and contemplate 
the inward wound of His loving heart ! prostrate 
upon my knees at the foot of the cross, 1 adore 
Jesus in thee, divine Victim of love. Thou art the 
gate of heaven. Thou art the door of God's treas- 
ures. Thou art the mouth of Jesus' heart. Thou 
art the tongue of His love, and the trumpet of His 



Jesus Side Pierced with a Spear. 



549 



divine charity. Sacred heart of Jesus, wounded in 
love for me ! fill my heart with sorrow for my sins, 
and with love for Thy goodness. Wash my soul 
with that miraculous water, which issued forth 
from Jesus' holy side, when opened by the spear, 
and sprinkle me with His sacred blood, that the 
wicked angel of destruction and sin may, in future, 
have no power over me. I desire to take refuge in 
the sacred heart of my Jesus, and to be forever con- 
secrated to His love and service. But, as my cold 
and sinful heart is not able to love Him as He 
deserves, then, most holy heart of my Saviour ! love 
Him thou for me, and supply with the intensity of 
thy fervor the tepidity of my soul. 

Most holy Mary, Queen of martyrs ! the spear of 
the soldier that pierced the heart of your Son, did 
not cause any pain to Him, because He was dead ; 
but it was for you the sword of grief that penetrated 
your most loving soul. The soul is more where 
she loves, than where she lives. Your soul was more 
in Jesus than in your own body, hence you felt all 
the agony of this deadly wound. I compassionate 
you, dearest Mother, in this new anguish. Allow 
me to share in your excessive grief, that, whilst you 
grieve through love for Jesus, I may grieve in sor- 
row for my sins. Most holy Mother, obtain for me, 
and for all Christians, a sincere devotion to the 
Sacred Heart of your divine Son, that we may all 
be inflamed with that heavenly fire, which He came 
to cast upon earth, and which He so ardently 
desires to see enkindled in the hearts of all men. 
May all hearts love Jesus with you, and compas- 
sionate and love you in Jesus' heart during time 
and eternity ! Amen. 



550 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



XXXV. CONSIDERATION. 



i HE BODY OF JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE 

CROSS. 

Voice of Jesus. 

My child, 1 am the eternal Word of God. During 
my mortal life, I spoke to men immediately my- 
self ; but after my death I continue to speak through 
my apostles and evangelists. Listen, then, to what 
they have to relate to thee about me : — 

One of the principal disciples of Jesus was a rich 
and noble man, Joseph by name, a native of Arima- 
thea, a city of Judea. He was a good and just 
man, a senator among the Jews, who had not con- 
sented to their counsel and doings against Jesus. 
When, therefore, he saw that Jesus was dead, he 
went boldly to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 
And Pilate permitted him to take it. He came, 
therefore, with Nicodemus, and took away from the 
cross the body of Jesus. Nicodemus brought with 
him about a hundred pounds of a mixture of myrrh 
and aloes to embalm the body. This man was also 
a disciple of Jesus, who, at first, came to him by 
night from fear of the Jews —Consider, my child, 
these words of my evangelist, and learri from them 
some useful lessons. 



First Point. 

When it was evening, there came a certain rich man 
of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was a 
disciple of Jesus." (Matt., xxvii.) "And Nicodemus 
also came, he zvho at first came to Jesus by night." 
(St. John, xix, 39.) 



Christ's Body Taken down from the Cross. 551 



I. Consider that our Lord Jesus Christ suffered 
and died for the salvation of all mankind. "He is the 
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also 
for those of the whole world" (1 John, ii, 2.) 

In commanding His apostles to teach all nations, 
and to preach the Gospel to all creatures, our mer- 
ciful Saviour evidently shows that He desires the 
salvation of all men. He excludes none when He 
invites all. Though the low, the humble, the poor, 
the suffering portion of mankind are the favorites of 
Jesus' heart, yet His divine goodness invites all men, 
and His mercy receives the high, the noble, the 
learned and rich, when they come to Him with due 
dispositions of mind and heart. 

In Joseph and Nicodemus we have a confirma- 
tion of this truth. Both were high, rich, and 
learned men among the Jews. Joseph of Arima- 
thea was a wise counsellor and a noble senator. 
Like Nicodemus, he was good and just, He loved 
truth and practised virtue. He was an enemy of 
hypocrisy, he hgfted calumny, injustice and oppres- 
sion. Hence he refused to consent to the persecu- 
tion of our innocent Saviour. With Nicodemus he 
became His secret disciple. He made use of his 
authority and influence to obtain from the Roman 
governor the dead body of our Saviour, and with 
the assistance of his worthy companion, Joseph, 
honorably buried it in his own newly-prepared 
tomb. Both are praised by the evangelists for their 
faith and devotion, for which they have been re- 
warded by God in eternal glory. 

Persons of the same class, who imitate the exam- 
ple of these two great men, will receive the same 
reward. 

II. Reflect here on the power of our Saviour's 
death. Ordinary men through their death forfeit 
power and influence. But our Lord's power and 
efficacy are increased by His death. During His 
life these two rich and noble men, through fear of 
the Jews, were only secret followers, or disciples, of 



552 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



Jesus. Nicodemus ventured only by night, con 
cealed and protected by darkness, to speak privately 
to our divine Master about His religion. Joseph 
was His disciple in secret. Their wealth and social 
position, instead of inspiring them with moral cour- 
age, made them slaves to the prejudices of the 
leading men among the Jews. But the death of our 
crucified Saviour has changed this cowardly timid- 
ity into manly courage. Moistened by the life- 
giving blood of divine Jesus, the seeds of faith and 
virtue, buried and concealed in the hearts of these 
two well-disposed men, spring up to public view, 
and bear abundant fruit. Joseph filled and animated 
with faith and courage boldly presents himself to the 
Roman governor, who had condemned Jesus to 
death, and demands the dead body of a crucified 
man, whom he believes to be the Saviour of mankind. 
Nicodemus buys, publicly, in the city of Jerusalem, 
an extraordinary amount of balsamic spices to 
anoint His lifeless body. For this object, without 
any fear of the Jews, he directly proceeds to Calvary, 
and in broad day, in the sight of all, performs this 
act of devotion, and thus he openly makes his pro- 
fession of faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ. 
Behold how the death of Jesus is the source of light 
and strength to all those who believe in Him. His 
death is our victory. But, like Joseph and Nico- 
demus, we should draw near to the altar of His 
cross, and in love and piety receive in our arms, or 
rather in our hearts, the sacred Victim of Calvary. 
We can find Him every day in the holy tabernacle 
of His faith and love. Let us bring with us the 
white linen sheet of a clean conscience, with the 
myrrh of faith, and the aloe of self-denying devotion. 



Christ's Body Taken down from tlte Cross. 553 



Second Point. 

" They took therefore the body of Jesus" (St. John, 
xix, 40.) Joseph and Nicodemus, helped by St. 
John, detached from the cross with reverential care 
the most holy body of Jesus, and with profound 
respect they brought it down to the ground. 

L Consider here that it is a general tradition of 
the Church, that the body of our blessed Saviour 
was deposited by these pious men in the arms of 
His loving Mother. She was standing at the foot 
of the cross. St. John says : " There stood by the 
cross of Jesus his mother" (Chap, xix, 25.) This 
most loving Mother, who remained with her divine 
Son during His agony and at His death, would not 
go away from Him before His burial. Many other 
devout women were there, who had followed our 
blessed Lord from Galilee to Jerusalem. (Matt,, 
xxvii, 55.) They all assisted at His burial, as St. 
Luke says : " And the women that were come zuith him 
from Galilee, follozving after, saw the sepulchre, and 
how his body was laid." (Chap, xxiii, 55.) First 
among these devout women was certainly tne most 
holy Mother of our blessed Lord. Being at the foot 
of the cross when His sacred body was detached 
from it, how natural it was for such a Mother to 
receive in her arms the body of that child, whom 
she had, thirty-four years before, conceived by the 
Holy Ghost, and at His birth, had most devoutly 
taken in her virginal arms, and most lovingly pressed 
to her maternal bosom. 

II. The learned and pious Baronius, following. 
Metaphrastes, and other more ancient writers, says : 
" Those who have treated of these sacred myste- 
ries of Calvary, relate that the most holy Mother of 
Jesus, with heroic constancy and fortitude, from 
beginning to end accompanied her divine Son in 
His passion. Though oppressed with grief, yet she 
ever behaved herself with the decorum and dignity 

24 



554 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



befitting the Mother of a God-man. Excessive was 
Mary's sorrow when she beheld her Son dead on 
the cross. But her resignation was superior to 
the anguish of her maternal heart. She assisted 
with her hands those who detached His body 
from the cross. She devoutly received the nails 
that had pierced His hands and feet, and reveren- 
tially pressed them to her bosom. This sorro wful 
Mother lovingly embraced the dead body of her 
only Son, and holding the upper portion of it in 
her lap, she washed its wounds with her tears. Then, 
with profound reverence, bending down over it, 
she said with a calm and affectionate tone of voice: 
" Thou hast, O Lord, my God ! fully accomplished 
the mystery decreed for Thee from all eternity." 
After this our sorrowful lady gave into the hands 
of Joseph of Arimathea the winding-sheet, saying: 
"I intrust to thee the care of this body. Anoint it 
with myrrh, compose its sacred limbs with great 
reverence, and give to it an honorable burial." 
(Baron. Eccles. Hist, A. D. 34, cap. xi.) 

III. Consider, devout soul, how excessive must 
have been the sorrow of our august Lady on this 
painful occasion. St. John Damascene says : " The 
most holy Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross 
experienced those pangs in her heart, which she 
had not felt at the birth of her Son in the grotto of 
Bethlehem/' (Lib. iv, De Fide, c. xv.) " The tortures 
inflicted by the cruelty of tyrants on the bodies 
of all the martyrs were very light in comparison to 
what thou hadst to endure in thy maternal heart, 
O Virgin Mother of Jesus ! at the death of thy Son." 
(St. Anselm, Excel. Virg. c. v.) " It is most evident 
that the heart of Mary was a most perfect mirror 
of the passion of Jesus ; for she endured in her soul 
all that her Son had to suffer in His sacred body." 
(St. Laurent. Justin. De Agone Christi, cap. xvii.) 
"Most holy Virgin! the sword of grief so deeply 
transfixed thy loving soul, that with reason we 
proclaim thee Queen of martyrs, because the 



Christ's Body Taken down from the Cross. 555 

anguish of thy maternal heart exceeded all the 
sensible sufferings that could be endured in the 
body." (S. Bernard, Serm. in Signum Magnum 
Apoc., xii.) Regina martyrum, ora pro nobis : Queen 
of martyrs, pray for us, now and at the hour of our 
death ! Amen. 



" They took, therefore, the body of Jesns and bound 
it in linen cloths with spices, as it is tlie custom with the 
Jews to bury." (John, xix, 40.) 

I. The Jews were accustomed to bury their dead 
wrapped up in fine linen. In proportion to their 
means, and to their affectionate respect, they used 
balsamic spices, both to preserve the bodies of the 
dead, and to prevent any disagreeable odor at the 
burial. The hands and the feet of the dead were 
bound up with linen bandages. The face was 
covered with a white veil. We read in the 
Gospel that Lazarus was buried in this manner. 
(John, xi, 44.) 

Men only were allowed to perform these last 
offices of piety about the body of a dead man, 
whilst women only attended to the dead body of 
persons of their own sex and religion. 

II. In this manner was the sacred body of our 
divine Lord prepared for burial by the devotion and 
generosity of the truly noble and rich Joseph and 



of faith they look upon that sacred body covered 
with wounds and gore for man's salvation. See 
with what care and reverence they wash those 
sacred limbs, bathing them with their tears of sin- 
cere and heartfelt devotion. See how they anoint 
them with an abundance of the most sweet and 
precious spices. They felt that He who had so 
prodigally given all His blood and His life for their 
sake, and for the salvation of mankind, deserved 



Third Point. 



Nicodemus. 




sentiments 



556 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



to receive their gifts, and their homages, and the 
adoration of men and angels. Joseph and Nico- 
demus cannot forget the last tender and touching 
words of Jesus' most sorrowful Mother, for whom 
they had the most profound admiration and respect. 
By their devotion to the dead body of her Son, 
they wish to console the heart of the holiest and 
most desolate of women. 



Prayer. 

O Joseph! O Nicodemus! like you, disciples 
of Jesus, we most heartily thank you for this last 
act of your faith and devotion to our common Lord 
and Redeemer. We admire the courage, which 
animates you both in overcoming the fear, and 
braving the dangers to which the malice of your 
perfidious countrymen exposes you. Your faith 
and your love for Jesus render you superior to the 
fear of men, and you consider it your greatest hap- 
piness and glory to die martyrs for love of Him 
who has just immolated His life for your sake 
upon the cross. We admire your courage and 
generosity. We thank you for this admirable 
example of faith and devotion. We thank you in 
the name of all Christianity. We thank you in the 
name of Jesus. We thank and praise you with 
Mary, the honor of your nation, and the glory of 
mankind. Most holy Mary will never forget your 
piety, and divine Jesus will be the life of your 
resurrection. Intercede for us, devout servants of 
Jesus ! and obtain for us a true devotion to His pas- 
sion and to the sorrows of His most holy Mother, 
with the gift of final perseverance, that we may die 
in the company of Mary, and may be buried in the 
faith of Jesus, and in the hope of His glorious 
resurrection. 



The Burial of Jesus. 



557 



XXXVI. CONSIDERATION. 



THE BURIAL OF JESUS. 

Voice of Jesus. 

My child, the history of my passion is drawing 
to its end. My body is ready for burial. I invite thee 
to my funeral My tomb is not far from my cross. 
Joseph of Arimathea, who, on account of his sena- 
torial dignity, is obliged to reside in Jerusalem, has 
bought a piece of land on this Mount of Calvary. 
Being a good and just man, he often thinks of death, 
and prepares himself daily for this inevitable event, 
the most important in the life of man, because eter- 
nity, my child, depends upon it. He has hewn a 
sepulchre out of a rock in his garden. It is now 
perfectly finished, and ready to receive my body. 
In his generous devotion, my noble disciple, Joseph, 
has made a present of it to me for my burial. I have 
accepted it. I will richly reward him for this op- 
portune gift. My sepulchre will, according to 
prophecy, become very glorious for Christianity. 
Come, then, my child, join the funeral procession, 
accompany my body to the tomb, and leave thy 
heart with me. 



First Point. 

"Near the place where Jesus was crucified there was 
a garden, and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein 
no man had yet been laid." (John, xix, 41.) 

I. Consider here that, as Adam committed sin in 
the garden of Eden, heard therein the sentence 
of death, and the promise of the Messiah, so our 
divine Redeemer was pleased to begin His passion 



558 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



in the garden of Gethsemani, and end it with His 
burial in a garden on Mount Calvary. By so doing 
He atoned in all its circumstances for the sin of our 
first parents, and restored to us the terrestrial gar- 
den of His holy Church, wherein can be found the 
most beautiful flowers of all virtues, and the sweet- 
est fruits of sanctity. He was the seed of life, which, 
being cast and buried in the ground, produced, 
and is producing, a rich harvest of holy souls. 

II. Adrichomius, in his description of Jerusalem, 
speaks of our Lord's sepulchre in the following 
words : " The glorious sepulchre of our Lord was 
a newly-made monument eight feet long. It was 
one hundred and eight feet distant from the 
place where Jesus was crucified. This sepulchre 
belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, wiio had it hewn 
from a rock in his garden. He gave it up for the 
burial of our Saviour's body. Hence, Jesus, our 
Lord, was buried in a sepulchre belonging to an- 
other person." Reflect, here, Christian soul, on the 
absolute poverty of the incarnate Son of God. At 
His birth, He had no other place but the cave of 
Bethlehem. During His life, He had no house of 
His own. At His death, His nakedness was covered 
with the winding-sheet of charity, and His body 
was buried in the sepulchre of Joseph. 

II. His material poverty, however, has been the 
inexhaustible source of all our spiritual riches. 
Through these riches of faith and devotion, the holy 
Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, built, in 
the fourth century, a magnificent church, which, 
within its vast proportions, includes the holy 
sepulchre and the spot of our Saviour's crucifixion. 
A countless number of devout pilgrims, among 
them many eminent saints, have, from every part of 
the Catholic world, gone to Jerusalem to venerate 
this hallowed spot of our Saviour's burial and resur- 
rection. So, according to the prophecy of Isaias, 
" our Lord's sepulchre has been made glorious." (Chap, 
xi, 10.) 



The Burial of Jesus. 



559 



Second Point. 

I. " There, therefore, by reason of the parasceve of 
the Jews, they laid Jesus, because the septilchre was nigh 
at hand." (John, xix, 42.) In compliance with His 
gracious invitation, let us now join the funeral pro- 
cession, and devoutly accompany the sacred body 
of our dear Lord to the sepulchre. See how Joseph 
and Nicodemus, assisted by St. John, the beloved 
disciple, take with the most profound respect this 
adorable body, and begin slowly to move towards 
the monument. His most afflicted Mother walks 
closely behind it, in company with the devout Mag- 
dalen. The other pious women, two and two, 
follow them. Their loving hearts are oppressed 
with sorrow. Copious tears flow from their eyes, 
swollen with grief, and deep sighs and sobs are heard 
from every one in this mournful procession. They 
enter now the garden gate. Through a beautiful 
alley formed by green trees, they direct their slow 
and solemn march towards the sepulchral chamber. 
They all enter it. Behold the sepulchre hewn in 
the side of the rock. Joseph, Nicodemus, and John 
lay the body of our Lord in it with the most affection- 
ate care. They all kneel before it, and bow to it 
in the most profound adoration. Let us join in 
their devotion, and in spirit and truth adore the Author 
of life buried for our resurrection to immortality. 

II. Let us also reflect that there are three sepul- 
chres of Jesus. The first is the one we contemplate. 
But in this tomb His dead body, united, however, 
to the person of the divine Word, remained only 
part of three days. The second and more precious 
is every sacred tabernacle wherein the august 
sacrament of the holy Eucharist is preserved. In 
fulfilment of His divine promise of being always 
with His Church to the end of time, our blessed 
Lord has remained with us with His true body and 
blood, soul and divinity. This is the most profound 



56o 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



mystery of His love and of our faith. Do we ap- 
preciate this singular privilege? Do we often visit 
Him in this sacrament ? Do we like to receive Him 
frequently in our hearts ? If we do, then our bosom 
becomes the living sepulchre of Jesus, "who finds 
his delight in being among the children of men." This 
is the third mystic sepulchre to which we allude. 
If we receive Him with faith and love, He lives with 
us, and we live with Him ; and He communicates 
life everlasting to our soul and body. For He says : 
" I am tlie bread of life. He that eateth my flesh and 
drinketh my blood \ hath everlasting life, and I will 
raise him up in the last day. " (John, vi, 55.) 

Third Point. 

"He rolled a great stone to the door of the monument, 
and went his ivay." (Matt., xxvii, 60.) 

I. We have already remarked that the sepulchre 
where our Saviour was buried, had been hewn with 
great skill and labor out of a solid rock, which 
forms part of Mount Calvary. In the first place, 
a chamber, or vault, about seven feet high, was ex- 
cavated, having, according to St. Beda, its entrance 
to the east. In the northern portion of this cham- 
ber, and about two feet above the rocky pavement, 
a smaller cell, or tomb, was hewn in the side of the 
same rock. Hence, the body at its burial had not to 
be lowered down, but was laid in horizontally and 
parallel to the pavement, though raised three steps 
above it. The sacred body of our Lord was 
buried in this place with His head and shoulders 
towards the east, and consequently with its feet and 
face turned to the west. The same was His position 
on the cross. (Adrichomius, in Descript. Jerusalem, 
No. 239; and St. Beda, Comment, in St. Mark, c. xv.) 

As everything in the human life and death of 
our Lord is full of meaning, because He is the eternal 
Word of truth ; so we may learn from the position 
of His sacred body, both on the cross and in the 



The Burial of Jesus. 



561 



sepulchre, that He had turned His back upon the 
Jewish nation, and directed His sacred feet and 
face towards the west, and especially to Southern 
Europe, exchanging Palestine for Italy, and Jeru- 
salem for Rome. (A Lapide in Matt., xxvii, 60.) 

II. Whilst we are in this holy chamber, let us 
admire the wisdom of our divine Saviour. He had 
repeatedly foretold that after three days He would 
rise from death to a glorious immortality. To re- 
move from the Jews, and from all future unbelievers, 
the very shadow of suspicion that His body could 
be stolen by His disciples from the tomb, observe 
how the sepulchre is hewn in the solid rock. Its 
entrance is carefully closed by Joseph and Nico- 
demus with a very heavy stone prepared for it. 
We will soon see the Jewish magistrates securing 
this stone with leaden seals, and stationing, in and 
around this chamber, armed guards to watch the 
sepulchre day and night. Thus it is both physically 
an$ morally impossible for any of our Saviour's 
disciples to remove His body. 

III. Now that the burial of our Saviour is accom- 
plished, and the opening of His tomb is closed with 
a stone slab so heavy that it could not be raised by 
three strong men, but had to be rolled up to it, let 
us for a moment consider the excessive grief of the 
devout women, and especially of His most holy 
Mother, who assisted at His burial. Who can 
remain unmoved around the tomb of a dear relative 
and esteemed friend, when his body is lowered down 
into the grave, and his coffin is covered with earth ? 
The stoutest hearts give way, and big tears bathe 
every cheek, pale with the grief of death. Oh ! 
what must have been the grief of the loving Mag- 
dalen and of the pious women, who in their devo- 
tion followed their adored divine Master all the 
way from Galilee! And Mary, His Mother! Oh! 
what must have been the anguish of her soul at that 
awful moment ! Her only Son is dead. His body 
is buried, and shut out from her sight by a heavy 



562 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



stone. This cold, heavy stone rests upon her heart, 
and her soul is crushed under the overwhelming 
load of her maternal grief. 

Prayer. 

Mother of sorrow, desolate Mother! we pro- 
loundly compassionate you in your maternal grief 
We appreciate the greatness of your loss. Youi 
divine Son, Jesus, was the life, the light, the love, 
the joy, the whole and sole happiness of your soul. 
Your present desolation is awful and complete. 
Your most holy and most loving Son is dead and 
buried ; and you are left alone in this cold world 
of unbelief, impiety, and sin. Mother most dear ! 
if our faith in Him and our love for Him and for 
you can be some comfort to your most holy soul, 
and assuage in part the bitter grief of your maternal 
heart, O Mary most holy ! O most sorrowful 
Mother ! we believe in Jesus, w r e are His disciples, 
we love Him, we love you, Mother most dear! So 
long as a Catholic heart beats within the bosom of 
Christian faith, you will, Mother of Jesus ! have a 
child devoted to your love. Your Son upon the 
cross has made us your children, as He made you 
our Mother. You cannot be alone when we are 
with you. Oh ! never, Mother dearest, never will 
we abandon you. Ah ! whither shall we go if we 
leave you, Mother of our Saviour? He is dead 
and buried, and He has left you for our guide 
and comfort, for our hope and consolation. You 
expect, with the hope of certainty, His speedy 
resurrection, and we will steadfastly remain with you 
to witness the excess of your sorrow changed into 
the sweetest ocean of heavenly joy. Jesus will soon 
rise again, and according to the multitude of your 
sorrows in your heart, the comforts w T hich His pres- 
ence, His glory, and His love for you will bring, 
will fill with the sweetest joy your maternal breast. 
(Ps. xciii, 19.) Amen. 



Christ's Sepulchre. 



563 



XXXVII. CONSIDERATION. 



THE SEPULCHRE OF JESUS CHRIST. 
Voice of Jesus. 

My child, all men, even the most wicked, find 
rest in their graves. But the malice of my enemies 
would not, if they could, allow me to rest even in 
my tomb. Hence, listen to the words of my apostle 
and evangelist, Matthew : " The next day, after the 
burial of Jesus, the chief priests and the Pharisees came 
together to Pilate, saying : Sir, we have remembered 
that that seducer, while he was yet alive, said : After 
three days I will rise again. Command therefore the 
sepulchre to be guarded until the third day ; lest his 
disciples come, and steal him away, and say to the 
people : Pie is risen from the dead; so the last error 
shall be worse than the first. Pilate said to them : You 
have a guard : go, guard it as you know. A nd they 
departing, made the sepulchre sure with guards, sealing 
the stone (Matt., xxvii, 62-66.) 

This being, my child, the last time I invite thee 
to meditate on my passion and death, study well 
the concluding lessons. Reflect that the malice of 
wicked persons, like the corruption of their dead 
bodies, grows worse every -day. These unworthy- 
Jewish priests, and hypocritical Pharisees, who the 
day before had scrupled entering Pilate's house for 
fear of being defiled, and of being in consequence 
prevented from eating the paschal lamb, now, on 
their most solemn day of Easter, go to him in a 
body without the least remorse of conscience. They 
call me a seducer, they calumniate my disciples as 
impostors, determined to deceive the people by 
stealing my body, and making them believe in a 
sham resurrection. But I have taken every precau- 
tion for protecting the honesty and good name of my 



564 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



disciples, and for defeating completely in every 
way the malice and hypocrisy of all my enemies 
present and future. u They shall know that I am the 
Lord." Persevere, my child, in thy devotion tome, 
and "I will be thy reward exceedingly great." 



First Point. 

I. The Jewish nation has been severely punished 
by Divine Justice for the great crime of condemning 
our Saviour to death. But the severity and long 
duration of the punishment has by far fallen short 
of the astonishing malice of their hearts. During 
our meditations on the passion of our dear Lord, we 
have been often surprised at the wickedness of the 
Jews. We had reason to expect that the cruel and 
infamous death of our Saviour on the cross had 
satisfied and appeased their hatred against Him. 
Such, however, is not the case. They persecute 
Him even in His grave. Making no account of 
their most solemn and sacred feast of Easter, the 
chief priests and Pharisees from the Temple of 
Jerusalem proceed in a body to the house of a 
pagan governor, and in their conduct and by their 
words they give a public demonstration that their 
hatred against our holy and innocent Lord, who is 
now dead and buried, instead of abating, is rather 
increasing in intensity. Such is the nature of man. 

During our life we are on the way to our final 
end. We cannot remain stationary, because we are 
carried away by the stream of time, and by the, 
force of our passions. If we strive to walk in the 
narrow path of duty, and in the way of virtue, if 
we open our mind to truth, and our heart to holi- 
ness, we shall advance from light to brightness, and 
from goodness to perfection. u For the path of the 
just, as a shining light, goeth forwards, and increaseth 
even to perfect day." (Pro v., iv, 18.) But those who 
prefer the way of iniquity, and obstinately shut 



Christ's Sepulchre. 



565 



their eyes to the light of truth, and their hearts 
to justice, " shall grow worse and worse ; erring and 
driving into error and wickedness." (2 Tim., iii, 13.) 

At the sepulchre of Jesus we have confirmation 
of this maxim. The devout women and the good 
Joseph and Nicodemus believed in our Saviour, 
and followed His footsteps. They arrived at an 
eminent degree of sanctity. Disciples of Jesus in 
life, they are faithful to Him not only till death, but 
even after His burial. The Jewish priests, the 
scribes and Pharisees opposed and persecuted Him 
to death, even the death of the cross. His death 
has not appeased their hatred. They persecute Him 
in His grave. On the great solemnity of Easter, 
instead of worshipping God in His temple, behold 
them before Pilate. They, who indignantly refused 
the title of Lord to their Messiah, and condemned 
Him to death, because He taught them that He 
was the Son of God, give now the title of lord to a 
pagan man, and persist in giving, the blasphemous 
name of seducer to the divine Master of truth. 
"Sir" they said to Pilate, " Sir, we have remembered 
that that seducer, while he was yet alive, said: 
After three days I will rise again!' 

II. Observe here the blindness of impiety, and 
the inconsistency of malicious infidelity. These 
men, admired by the people for their learning and 
supposed holiness of life, call our Saviour a seducer, 
and in the same breath they express their inward 
fear lest His prophecy of resurrection should be real- 
ized. "Sir, we have remembered that that seducer while 
yet alive said : After three days I will rise again." But, 
if they believe that Jesus of Nazareth is a seducer, 
how can they consistently fear His resurrection 
from death? And if they believe in His speedy 
resurrection, how can they consider Him a seducer ? 
" But the wicked are like the raging sea which cannot 
rest, and the waves thereof cast up dirt and mire. There 
is no peace to the wicked." (Isa., lvii, 20.) In his restless 
activity he casts up the dirt of his corrupted heart, 



566 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering: 



and the mire of his inconsistent mind. But such 
has ever been the nature of blind infidelity. Incon- 
sistency and malice are the inseparable characters 
of impiety in every age of the world. 

III. But these impious and wicked men give to 
Pilate, in spite of themselves, another proof of our 
Saviour's divinity. They solemnly testify to him 
that our Lord prophesied that His resurrection 
should take place within three days after His death. 
"Sir, we have remembered that that seducer, while he 
was yet alive, said : After three days I will rise 
again" On the authority of His bitterest enemies 
we have here two arguments in proof of the 
divinity of our Lord, namely : the prophecy of His 
resurrection, and the actual accomplishment of 
this prophecy. They make an official and public 
statement of the prophecy, and they, contrary to 
their intentions, do all in their power to render 
incontrovertible the imminent event of His resur- 
rection from the dead. Behold how true it is, that 
u there is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no 
counsel against the Lord" Behold how God mocks 
to scorn the pretended wisdom of proud infidelity, 
and turns it to the realization of His own ends. 
This has always and invariably been the case from 
the fall of the first man, or rather from the rebellion 
of the proud angels, to the present day, and so it 
will be to the end of time, and during all eternity. 
Let us admire the wisdom of God, "zvhich no evil 
can overcome. She reacheth from end to end mightily, 
ana ordereth all things sweetly" (Wisd., viii, i.) Our 
Saviour's resurrection is decreed by God, and all 
that His enemies attempt to do towards frustrating 
its accomplishment, will only serve to render this 
mighty prodigy more evident to all men, and more 
glorious to His holy name. May God be forever 
blessed and praised by all His creatures ! 



Christ's Sepulchre. 



567 



Second Point. 

" Command therefor e the sepulchre to be guarded until 
the third day, lest his disciples come, and steal him 
away, and say to the people ; He is risen from the dead : 
so the last error shall be worse thajt the first.'" 

I. Consider here again the great and terrible 
maxim that God blinds and dementates His enemies, 
whom His justice has decreed to punish. As we 
cannot on one side sufficiently admire the wisdom 
of God ; so we cannot be too much surprised and 
grieved at the increasing malice and blind incon- 
sistency of the wicked and impious Jews. How 
can these grave Jewish priests, and learned scribes 
and Pharisees suppose for a moment that the disci- 
ples of our Lord, who have cowardly fled from 
Him at the first appearance of danger whilst He 
was alive, will now have the courage to steal His 
body after His death ? Moreover, these disciples, 
who very well know our Lord, either believe or 
believe not in His divinity. If they believe Him 
to be truly the Son of God, they believe also that 
He has power over life and death, 11 that he has 
power" as He said, "to lay down his life, and he has 
pozver to take it up again" (John, x, 18.) Believing 
this, the disciples of our Lord have no cause to 
steal His dead body ; but it is their duty and their 
honor to await patiently in the firm hope of His 
speedy resurrection. The stealing His dead body 
would argue want of faith in His divine power, 
and this want of faith would deprive them of the 
resolution and the courage to make any such 
disgraceful and dangerous attempt. 

But, if these disciples believe not in the divinity 
of their Master, and His death has convinced them 
that He is an impious impostor and a blasphemous 
seducer, what motive can they have for stealing 
away His dead body, and proclaiming to the world 
His resurrection from death ? What honor can come 



568 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



from this perfidy to their dead Master, and what 
advantage can they expect from this deceit? They 
can expect nothing but public disgrace and pun- 
ishment. But will these timid men expose them- 
selves to universal infamy, and to the most severe 
punishments for the sake of an impostor, who has 
seduced them ? This impious error should indeed be 
considered worse than the first. This error, however, 
and this impiety are not in the simple minds of the 
disciples of Jesus, but in the malicious hearts of 
their calumniators, the mortal enemies of their divine 
Lord and Master. Each of our Saviour's disciples 
can say with holy David: "O Lord ! deliver me not 
over to the will of them that trouble me : for unjust 
witnesses have risen up against me, and iniquity hath 
lied to itself : — Mentita est iniquitas sibi.—I believe to 
see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. 
Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart take 
courage, and await thou for the Lord" (Ps. xxvi, 12.) 

II. "Lniquity hath lied to itself. " " The wisdom of this 
world," St. Paul says, "is foolishness with God. For it 
is written : L will catch the wise in their own crafti- 
ness." (1 Cor., iii, 19.) See how these proud and 
impious men speak and work to defeat their own 
end, and to render more evident and incontestable 
the resurrection of our divine Saviour. Had the 
Jewish priests and magistrates abstained from 
sending armed soldiers to guard the sepulchre of our 
Lord, they might, after His resurrection, have with 
some plausibility said to the people that His disciples 
had stolen away His body. But, after having sta- 
tioned armed men of their own selection to watch 
and guard night and day the sepulchre of Jesus, 
they not only most effectively prevent the possibility 
of this theft, but they place the soldiers under 
the moral necessity of repelling this malicious 
calumny for the sake of their military honor, and 
of becoming the unimpeachable witnesses of our 
Saviour's real resurrection. For how can the dis- 
ciples of our Lord steal His body entombed in the 



Christ's Sepulchre. 569 



bosom of a solid rock, forming a portion of Mount 
Calvary, and with armed soldiers stationed at its 
entrance, as if they were guarding from assault the 
gate of an important fortress ? This precaution made 
it impossible for poor timid men, like the disciples 
of our Lord, to dream of stealing from the sepulchre 
the dead body of their divine Master, and conse- 
quently it rendered more evident the fact of His re- 
surrection. We can, indeed, exclaim with holy 
David: "Iniquity hath lied to itself." Impiety has 
been caught in its own trap. " The wisdom of this 
world is foolishness with God." The pretended wis- 
dom ol the perfidious Jews serves only to enhance 
the glory of Jesus. " For it is written: I will catch 
the wise in their own craftiness." 



Third Point. 

"Pilate said to them : You have a guard: go, guard it 
as you know. A nd they departing, made the sepulchre 
sure with guards, sealing the stone." (Matt., xxvii, 66.) 

I. Consider the weakness of Pilate, and learn 
at his expense to resist the first attacks of any 
temptation. At the beginning of our Lord's passion, 
Pilate was well disposed in His favor. He per- 
ceived His virtue and wisdom. He spoke in His 
behalf, and defended His innocence. But gradually 
yielding to the solicitations and threats of the Jews, 
he allowed our innocent Lord to be scourged at the 
pillar, to be crowned with thorns, and, at last, 
condemned Him to the death of the cross. Behold 
him now fully accomplishing his crime by consenting 
to the last request of our Saviour's enemies, and by 
encouraging them to station guards at His sepulchre, 
and to watch it with their accustomed zeal and 
vigilance. "You have a guard: go, guard it as you 
know." 

He who has the sad misfortune of yielding to the 
first assault of the temptation, will become weaker 



S7o 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



by his fall. From one sin he will rapidly pass to a 
greater one. The habit of vice will soon be formed, 
which will drag the unhappy soul to the abyss of 
misery and to final impenitence. 

II. Moreover, Pilate seems to have been terrified 
at hearing that our Lord had foretold His resur- 
rection. Had this taken place, it would have been 
his condemnation and disgrace for having con- 
demned such a holy man to death. Again, Pilate, 
from the dispositions of the Jewish priests and 
Pharisees, suspected that the resurrection of our 
Lord would excite the whole nation against him, 
and that he would be degraded, and punished 
by the Roman emperor, his master. Hence he 
contributed every means in his power to prevent 
it as much as possible. " You have a guard: go, and 
guard the sepulchre as you knozv." Behold here the 
bitter fruit of sin ! Remorse of conscience. Dread 
of its consequences. Fear of disgrace and punish- 
ment. Anxiety and solicitude in striving to avert 
them. New and blacker crimes committed to hide 
the first, which are generally rendered more 
apparent by our subsequent vicious conduct, and 
by our associations with wicked men. Let us learn 
from Pilate to avoid every sin, to shun the occasion 
of it, and we shall enjoy internal peace of con- 
science, and avoid the tyranny of bad company. 

II. "They departing, made the sepulchre sure with 
guards, sealing the stone." 

i* " They departing!' Reflect that sinners are es- 
sentially a selfish race. They cling to their fellow- 
men so long as these promote their interests, uphold 
their ambition, and gratify their sensual passions. 
This being accomplished, they turn their backs 
upon their victims, and generally end by becoming 
their mortal enemies. Such was the conduct of the 
Jews in relation to Pilate. So long as they had 
need of his cooperation to promote their wicked 
designs against our Lord, they professed allegiance 
to him, they honored his dignity, and flattered his 



Christ's Sepulchre. 



571 



ambition by calling him lord. After having used 
him as their tool for the gratification of their malice 
and vindictiveness against our divine Lord, they 
turned their backs upon him : " They departing." They 
departed so far as to go to Rome, and impeach his 
loyalty before his imperial master. They procured 
his degradation from his high dignity, and caused 
his exile to France, where he died. Behold the 
reward we can expect from our imprudent associa- 
tion with the wicked ! 

2. "Made the sepulchre sure with guards!' The 
number of soldiers stationed at the entrance of the 
sepulchre was large enough to repel any number of 
our Saviour's disciples that might have attempted 
to steal His body. They had to be numerous 
enough to relieve the pickets by day and night. 
The fear and anxiety of the Jews and of Pilate must 
have induced them to send a strong body of men to 
guard the sepulchre. It was for the glory of our 
Lord that these guards should be so numerous and 
so strong, as to silence and confute in anticipation 
the calumny against His disciples, that they stole 
His body. Moreover, He wished to have a large 
number of impartial witnesses of His approaching 
resurrection. The more numerous the guards, the 
better secured all these different ends would be. 

3. Besides these precautions, the Jewish magis- 
trates fixed the sepulchral stone with lead, impress- 
ing upon it the municipal seal of the city of 
Jerusalem : " Sealing the stone!' 

All is accomplished. Men, instigated by their 
malice and by the demons, have done all that was in 
their power to show that Jesus of Nazareth was an 
impostor and a seducer. His dead body is shut up 
in the tomb hewn out of a solid rock. Its entrance 
is closed with a heavy stone securely fixed and sealed 
with lead. A numerous body of armed soldiers 
guards the sepulchre night and day. If Jesus of 
Nazareth is a mere man, He can never come out 
alive from it. But if, in spite of all these precau- 



572 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



tions of Jews and Gentiles, the prophecy of His 
resurrection is verified, then all mankind will have 
to acknowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is, as 
He repeatedly said, the true Son of God, the 
promised Messiah, the Expectation of Nations, the 
Saviour of mankind, the divine Founder of Chris- 
tianity. But, after a few concluding reflections, we 
will see that Jesus did rise from death ; therefore, 
Christianity is a divine religion. 

IV. Reflect, Christian soul, that in this holy 
sepulchre so carefully guarded, the richest treasure 
is enclosed. If our heart ought to be where our 
treasure is, it should, therefore, be in the tomb with 
Jesus. The pious women with Mary Magdalen, 
who truly loved Him, could not depart from the 
neighborhood of the sepulchre ; but sat over against 
it, bewailing the death of their beloved Master. They 
do not fear the presence of the soldiers, because 
those who truly love Jesus, and believe in His 
divinity, are not afraid of the malice and power of 
men. "For, if God be for us, who is against us?" 
(Rom., viii, 31.) May Jesus Christ, by the interces- 
sion of His most holy and afflicted Mother, seal our 
heart with His sacred blood, and send His holy 
angels to guard and preserve it in His faith and love 
until the day of our glorious resurrection, that we 
may continue to love and praise Him with all His 
angels and saints during an endless eternity ! 

May the passion of Jesus and the sorrows of 
Mary be forever engraven on our hearts, that no 
sinful affection may ever corrupt them, or fear of 
sufferings and sorrow may ever detach them from 
their love and service ! Amen. 



Ihe Resurrection of Jesus. 



573 



XXXVIII. CONSIDERATION. 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 
The voices of faith and hope. 

" When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalen, and 
Mary, the Mother of James and Salome, brought sweet 
spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus. And very 
early in the morning, the first day of the week, they 
come to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen. And 
they say one to another : Who shall roll back for us the 
stone from the door of the sepulchre? And looking, 
they saw the stone rolled back ; for it was very great. 
And entering the sepulchre, they saw a young man 
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and 
they were astonished. And he saiih to them: Be not 
affrighted. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was 
crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the 
place where they laid him." (Mark, xvi, 1-6.) 

Devout reader, in imitation of the holy Evangelists 
we will close the history of our dear Saviour's 
passion with a chapter on His resurrection. The 
passion of our divine Lord without His resurrection 
is evidently incomplete even as an historical fact. 
It is like the picture of a body wounded, bruised, 
mangled, but without its head. Our Saviour was 
not beheaded, but crucified. No limb was separated 
from His sacred body. No bone was allowed by 
God to be broken. We should not then give the 
history of His passion truncated. 

Moreover, according to St. Paul, it is not the 
passion and death of our Lord that accomplished 
the work of our redemption ; but His resurrection 
from the dead. "If Christ be not risen again, your 
faith is vain, for you are in your sins yet." (i Cor., 
xv, 17.) "He who was delivered up for our sins, rose 



574 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



again for our justification." (Rom., iv, 25.) "For we 
are buried together with him, by baptism unto death : 
that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the 
Father, so we also may walk in newness of life. For, 
if we have been planted in the likeness of his death, in 
like manner we shall be of his resurrection" (Rom., 
vi, 4.) 

We must conclude, then, that both the complete- 
ness of the history, and the nature of the dogma of 
our Saviour's death and passion, demand some 
consideration about His glorious resurrection. 

The Resurrection of Jesus. 

" You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He 
is risen, he is not here. Behold the place, where they 
laid him." (Mark, vi, 6.) 

It was an angel who addressed these consoling 
words to the pious women who wished to anoint 
the dead body of their divine Master in the 
sepulchre. These angelic words enable us to under- 
stand the object of our Saviour's enemies in con- 
demning Him to the death of the cross, and in 
guarding His tomb with a band of soldiers. In 
preaching to the Jews that He was the Son of God, 
the promised Messiah and the Saviour of mankind, 
our Lord announced to them His three essential 
prerogatives of power, sanctity, and glory. Power 
belongs to Him as God, and was necessary to Jesus 
that He might defeat the devil and redeem mankind. 
Holiness is an essential attribute of God, and re- 
quired by Him for the conversion, sanctification, and 
salvation of sinners. Glory is inseparable from His 
divine Majesty, and was due to our Saviour for His 
victory over sin, death, and hell. His malicious and 
powerful enemies were determined to deprive our 
blessed Lord of these divine prerogatives. Through 
His crucifixion and death, they intended to expose 
His human weakness and His supposed moral guilt 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



575 



to all mankind, thus depriving Him of the attributes 
of power and holiness. In His burial they wished to 
sink Him into the common degredation and corup- 
tion of the tomb, and thus debase Him beneath the 
low condition of ordinary mortals, and rob Him of 
the divine attribute of glory. 

Had Jesus of Nazareth been an ordinary man 
and consequently an impostor as the Jews pretended, 
and as modern infidels assert, their plan was well 
prepared, their work was done, and, according to 
human prudence, it should have been crowned with 
complete success. But our Saviour's resurrection 
has entirely frustrated all the expectations of His 
mortal enemies, and triumphantly vindicated His 
divine rights of power, glory, and holiness. 



L Power of Jesus in His Resurrection. 
In describing our Saviour's character, the Holy 
Ghost attributes to Him qualities of a contrary 
nature. In various places of holy Scripture He is 
represented as strong and weak ; adorned with the 
halo of sanctity, and defiled with the ignominy of 
sin ; raised up in glory, and sunk down in the deepest 
degradation like a very worm of the earth. To the 
faith of every intelligent Christian these apparent 
contradictions are easily reconciled. We believe that 
in the person of Jesus, our Lord, there are two dis- 
tinct and perfect natures, the divine and the human. 
Power, holiness, and glory essentially belong to Him 



Christ made Himself weak with our innate weak- 
ness ; He cloaked over the divine attribute of His 
holiness with the ignominy of our sinfulness, and, 
under the appearance of His voluntary weakness 
and assumed guilt, our divine Lord subjected Him- 
self during His mortal life to all manner of sufferings 
and humiliations. 



First Point. 



as God. B 




fallen nature, Jesus 



576 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



The proud spirit of carnal man never could 
understand this great mystery. The material Jew 
possesses the Bible, and frequently reads the Scrip- 
ture. He sees in it, perfectly delineated, the portrait 
of the Messiah. He is willing to believe in the 
power, holiness, and glory of the expected Restorer 
of Israel's former greatness and splendor ; but his 
proud and carnal mind refuses to believe in Jesus 
subjected to the weakness, humiliations, and suffer- 
ings of our fallen humanity. 

The Son of God became man. During His mor- 
tal life, He gave evidence of His divine power by 
the manifold public miracles which He wrought ; 
and demonstrated the reality of His human nature 
in His sufferings and humiliations. His enemies, 
ever progressive in their habitual inconsistency, 
affected to be scandalized both at His power and at 
His weakness. The power of Jesus was attributed to 
the agency of the devil. In His voluntary poverty, 
in His privations and sufferings, in His manifold 
humiliations, these carnal men could only see the 
punishment of His sins. 

As an impostor and malefactor, our Lord was 
seized in the Garden of Gethsemani, dragged before 
the public tribunals, scourged at the pillar, crowned 
with thorns, and hastily condemned to die between 
two thieves upon a cross. Proud of their tempor- 
ary success, these heartless men reproached our 
agonizing Saviour for His helpless weakness, and 
wagging their heads in contempt, challenged Him 
to free Himself from their hands, by coming down 
from the cross. Our Saviour's death was their final 
victory, His funeral procession and His burial were 
their last triumph. The Jewish priests and magis- 
trates command His sepulchre to be well secured 
with strong seals. Brave and trusty military guards 
are stationed at the tomb to watch and defend it. 
All the precautions that human prudence could 
suggest having been taken, the enemies of our Lord 
return to Jerusalem to enjoy their supposed victory 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



577 



and to proclaim their complete triumph. They 
celebrate their paschal solemnity with unusual pomp 
and self-laudation. They exult and rejoice over the 
death and burial of Jesus of Nazareth, the seducer. 

Ah, proud, vain, and wicked men ! your mirth 
shall soon be turned into mourning ; your apparent 
victory is your real defeat, your boasted triumph is 
and shall ever be your deepest disgrace and eternal 
infamy ! Heaven and earth are horrified at your 
awful crime of Deicide. Angels and men abhor 
your malice and cruelty in murdering their Lord 
and Saviour. We turn from you in horror, and 
repair with hope and joy to the holy sepulchre of 
Jesus. We will pray for your conversion. " Jerusa- 
lem, Jerusalem, be converted to the Lord thy God." 

Christian reader, after having given a glance at 
the weakness of our humanity in the sufferings, 
humiliations, death, and burial of our dear Lord, 
let us pass now to consider the grand triumph of 
His, divine power in His glorious resurrection from 
the grave. 

II. Many are the proofs of the divine power of 
our Lord after His death. The holy prophet Isaias 
had foretold the glory of our Saviour's resurrection. 
" In that day the root of Jesse who standeth for an 
ensign of people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, 
and his sepulchre shall be glorious." (Isa., xi, io.) 
Our blessed Lord had previously announced that 
after His death His body was to remain three days 
in the grave, and that He should rise again to 
immortal life. "For, as Jonas," He said, " was in the 
whale's belly three days and three nights, so shall 
the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days 
and three nights." (Matt., xii, 40.) Now, during 
those three mysterious days and nights, Jonas was 
supposed dead and devoured by a monstrous fish. 
In reality, however, he was alive and full of intel- 
lectual activity. Our divine Saviour, likewise, was 
by His enemies believed dead forever, and without 
any power of escaping the common corruption of 

25 



578 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering, 



the grave. They were, however, completely mis- 
taken. During those three days and nights, His 
blessed soul was full of loving activity. It was 
truly separated by death from the body ; but our 
Lord's divinity was fully united to both, as the 
sword in the hand of the soldier is united to him 
with the empty scabbard bound to his side. Through 
this hypostatic union, our Saviour's body in the 
tomb was preserved from the least touch of corrup- 
tion. Hence, in the prophetic words of holy David, 
He said : " I set the Lord always in my sight ; for he 
is at my right hand, that I be not moved. Therefore my 
heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced. 
Moreover, my flesh also shall rest in hope. Because thou 
wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor wilt thou give thy 
holy one to see corruption." (Ps. xv, 8.) He who knows 
no corruption at His conception and birth, should 
be free from corruption at His death and burial. 
Considering the bruised, wounded, and mangled 
condition of the dead body of our Lord in the tomb, 
its total preservation from the least sign of corrup- 
tion must be considered a wonderful prodigy of His 
divine power. " Thou, O God, wilt not give thy holy 
one to see corruption." St. Peter, commenting upon 
these words of holy David, said : " Whereas he was 
a prophet, . . . foreseeing, he spoke of the resurrection of 
Christ, for neither was he left in hell, neither did his 
flesh see corruption." (Acts, ii, 30.) 

III. By hell, in the inspired language of the holy 
Scripture, is often signified either the grave, or the 
limbo of the Fathers. So the venerable and holy 
old man, Eleazar, rather than violate the law of God 
at the command of the impious Antiochus, pro- 
tested that he would prefer to suffer any torment, 
and to be sent to hell, "in infernum." (2 Mach.. vi, 
23.) Here he evidently meant the grave. Again: 
Jacob, overwhelmed with sorrow by the cruel 
treachery of his sons, who deceived him by making 
him believe that his darling son, Joseph, had been 
devoured by a wild beast, " would not receive com- 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



579 



fort, but said : I will go down to my son mourning into 
hell." (Gen., xxxvii, 35.) Jacob here evidently 
meant the limbo of the fathers, because, supposing 
the body of his son devoured by a wild beast, he 
could not expect it to be in any grave. There are 
in the Bible many other instances of this kind, but 
these will suffice for our present purpose. 
. Whilst then our Saviour's body was miraculously 
preserved in the sepulchre, His most holy soul full 
of beauty and glory, went to manifest its divine 
power in the world of spirits. St. Peter says : u Jesus 
Christ being put to death indeed in the flesh, but 
brought to life by the spirit, in which also he came 
and preached to those spirits, who were in prison." 
(1 Peter, iii, 19.) 

The blessed soul of our Lord announced her pres- 
ence to three different kinds of spirits. 1. To the holy 
souls of the just in limbo. 2. To the just, but suffer- 
ing souls in purgatory. 3. To the evil spirits and 
reprobate souls in hell. To the souls of the saints 
in limbo, our blessed Lord announced the joyful 
tidings of deliverance and everlasting glory ; to the 
suffering souls in purgatory, He preached redemp- 
tion and hope ; against the reprobates and devils, 
He completed their defeat, and aggravated their 
punishment. From all He demanded and received 
homage and adoration. On that solemn occasion 
every knee had for the first time to bow in heaven, 
on earth, and in hell, before the victorious conqueror 
of sin and death. "He humbled himself" St. Paul 
says, " becoming obedient unto death, even unto the death 
of the cross. Wherefore God also hath exalted him, 
and hath given him a name which is above every 
name ; that in the name of Jesus every knee shoidd 
bow of those that are in heaven, on eafth, and in 
hell ; and that every tongue should confess that the Lord, 
Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father." 
(Phil., ii, 8.) Let us rejoice with all the saints and 
angels at the great triumph and glory of the blessed 
soul of Jesus. 



58o 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



IV. This blessed soul, after having humbled in its 
divine power and majesty the proud spirits of hell, 
and released the souls from purgatory, went with 
these on the wings of the Divinity to the limbo of 
the Fathers. 

Consider here for a moment, how great must have 
been the joy of those blessed souls in beholding the 
long-expected Redeemer among them, a thousand 
times more brilliant with glory than the sun, and 
bringing with Him millions of happy souls from 
purgatory, as the trophies of His victory over sin, 
death, and hell. Who can describe the joy and 
happiness of Adam, Eve, and Abel, of Melchisedech 
and Job, of the holy patriarchs and prophets, and 
especially of holy Zachary and Elizabeth, of St. 
John the Baptist, and, above all, of His most holy 
father, St. Joseph? O blessed saints! lift up your 
heads in joy, your redemption is at hand. Rejoice, 
holy Joseph ! behold your glorious Son. He has 
come fully to reward you for all your labors and 
sufferings endured for His sake. 

In this blessed place and happy company, the 
glorious soul of our Lord remained until Easter 
Sunday morning, describing to them all that our 
Saviour had done and suffered for the redemption and 
salvation of mankind. "He preached to those spirits 
who were in prison." But the happy moment of 
His glorious resurrection being arrived, this blessed 
soul, accompanied by the liberated spirits of 
purgatory and limbo, with the rapidity of thought, 
flew to the sepulchre, where the sacred body was 
laid. Pause here, Christian reader, and reflect 
on the deep emotions caused by the sight of the 
wounded and lifeless body of their Saviour in the 
minds of those newly-beatified saints, Oh ! look 
into that sepulchre, and see how devoutly they all 
prostrate themselves in silent admiration and pro- 
found adoration near that divine victim of charity ! 
See how attentively they examine every wound! 
See how they look at that adorable head pierced 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



with sharp thorns, at that divine face bruised and 
livid with blows ! See how piously they kiss those 
sacred hands and feet bored through with nails, and 
that most holy side and most loving heart trans- 
fixed with a spear! Listen, with what fervor all 
the saints in the presence of that inanimate body 
thank the incarnate Word for His infinite mercy, and 
for His boundless charity in enduring such exces- 
sive sufferings for the redemption and salvation of 
sinful man ! And why shall we not unite with 
these first saints in acts of grateful love and adora- 
tion towards our divine Saviour? 

V. But . . . sat funeris, sat lachrymis, sat datum 
est doloribus. "No more mourning, enough of tears ; 
the time of suffering and sorrow is past." In the 
presence of millions of glorified saints, the blessed 
soul of Jesus returns to animate that dead body. 
In that very instant every wound is completely 
healed, the body lives again, rises up, is glorified, 
and shines more brilliantly than the sun. The 
earth that shook with horror at the death of Jesus, 
now leaps with joy at His glorious resurrection. 
At this miraculous noise and motion, the military 
guards are alarmed. They take up their arms, re- 
double their watch, and prepare to repel with vigor 
the dreaded approach of the disciples of Jesus. The 
sky is serene and calm, the sun begins to rise with 
unusual splendor. No foe is seen, three timid 
women only are descried in the distance. The fear 
of the soldiers subsides, their courage begins to 
return. . . . When, lo ! the heavy stone is by an 
invisible power suddenly rolled back with great 
noise from the sepulchre. The military guards 
wheel round in terror towards our Saviour's tomb, 
and the wakeful soldiers to their utter dismay see 
the sepulchre empty ! "Jesus of Nazareth, who was 
crucified, is risen, he is not there J ' " Oh! how fool- 
ish is the wisdom, how vain are the efforts of men 
against the power of God. " There is no wisdom, there 
ts no prudence, there is 7to counsel, there is no power 



582 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



against the Lord!' (Prov., xxi, 29.) These very 
soldiers stationed by the Jewish magistrates at the 
sepulchre to guard our Saviour's body, become, in 
spite of themselves, the first human witnesses of 
His glorious resurrection. Overawed with fear, 
pale with terror, trembling in every limb, this 
military band returns to Jerusalem. " For fear of 
him, the guards were struck with terror, and became 
as dead men." (Matt., xxviii, 4.) These soldiers 
were the first to announce to their astonished su- 
periors the startling news of the resurrection of 
Jesus from the grave. Their evidence is so clear 
and so circumstantial, their authority so unexcep- 
tionable, that bribery only can succeed to hush them 
in a cowardly silence. . " Some of the guards came 
into the city, and told the chief priests all the things 
that had been done. A nd they, being assembled together 
with the ancients, having taken counsel, they gave a great 
sum of money to the soldiers, saying : Say you, that his 
disciples came by night, and stole him away when' you 
were asleep. . . . So they taking the money, did as they 
were taught!' (Matt., xxviii, 11-15.) 

O stupid craftiness ! exclaims St. Augustine. See 
to what dishonorable artifices these unworthy men 
are obliged to stoop, in order to conceal a fact that 
frustrates all their impious designs. They demoral- 
ize military honor and discipline by bribing the 
soldiers, and stultify themselves by assuming as 
evidence of truth, the testimony of witnesses who 
pretend to have been asleep at the occurrence 
of the event. " Dormientes testes adhibes. Veretu ipse 
obdormisti, qui scrutando talia defecisti ! " (St. Aug. in 
Ps. lxiii, 7.) Such is ever the folly of infidelity and 
impiety. But the fact is accomplished. It cannot 
be denied except by sleeping infidels. The sepul- 
chre of Jesus is empty. Not one of His disciples 
has been near it. "Jesus of Nazareth, who was 
crucified, is risen. He is not here : behold the place 
wliere they la id him!' 

VI. We should not overlook the important fact 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



583 



that our divine Lord had on several occasions fore- 
told both the circumstances of His death, and th 
time of His resurrection. He had fixed the time ot 
His resurrection for the third day after His death 
and burial. St. Luke says : " When the people were 
gathered together, he began to say : This generation is 
a wicked generation'' Like a skilful engraver, our 
divine Master gives a sharp and deep stroke that 
the impression may be lasting, and may be well 
remembered in future by the multitude. For He 
wished them to remember it well. "They ask a 
sign" He continued, u and a sign shall not be given 
them, but the sign of Jonas the prophet (Luke, xi, 29.) 
" For, as Jonas zvas in the whale's belly three days 
and three nights, so shall the Son of man be in the 
bosom of the earth three days and three nights!' (Matt., 
xii, 40.) Again, to the Jews, who sought His death, 
our blessed Lord, placing His hand upon his 
breast, said : "Destroy ye this temple, and in three days 
I will raise it up again. He spoke of the temple of his 
body." (John, ii, 19.) According to our Saviour's 
desire the chief priests and Pharisees remembered 
well these words, when, after His death, they went 
to Pilate and said : "Sir, we have remembered that 
that seducer said, while he was yet alive : A fter three 
days 1 will rise again" (Matt., xxvii, 63.) 

How admirable is the wisdom of God ! He obliges 
his very enemies to do it an involuntary homage. 
Behold the mortal enemies of our divine Lord offi- 
cially testifying before the Roman governor that 
He had foretold His resurrection on the third day 
after His death and burial. Now this is the very 
day fixed by Him. His prophecy is literally verified. 
But divine wisdom alone can with precision foretell 
future events, which are above the power of nature, 
and beyond the prevision of man. Jesus, therefore, 
is and must be a divine person. 

VII. As divine wisdom only could beforehand 
announce the resurrection of Jesus, so divine power 
alone could actually realize it. No dead man can 



584 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



possibly be restored to life by human skill and 
power. Many foolish attempts have been made 
in this direction by proud infidelity, but they have 
only confirmed the great maxim of faith, that 
fi God alone is the Master of life and death, that he 
bringeth to the grave, and calleth back again." (1 
Kings, ii, 6.) Pretended resurrections of human 
skill are stupid impositions upon the credulity of man. 
Dead bodies have been restored to life, but never 
by the mere power of creatures. God in His divine 
omnipotence can, and does occasionally, communi- 
cate this miraculous power to some of His dearest 
servants as a proof of their sanctity. The holy 
prophets, Elias and Eliseus, received this power from 
God. St. Peter and St. Paul raised some dead 
persons to life in the name of their divine Master. 
Other eminent saints of Christianity received from 
God the same miraculous power. But an essentia] 
difference exists between Jesus and His saints. The 
saints had this extraordinary privilege limited to 
a few cases during their life. For our Lord, this 
power was an attribute of His divinity. He could 
exercise it whenever He pleased. "All power is given 
to me in heaven and upon earth." (Matt., xxviii, 18.) "I 
am the first and the last, and alive and was dead : 
and behold I am living forever and ever, and I have the 
keys of death and of hell" (Apoc, i, 18, 19.) 

Moreover, if some extraordinary saints have re- 
ceived this miraculous power from God to resusci- 
tate the dead body of another person, yet not one 
of God's saints could ever resuscitate himself. 
As soon as the human soul is totally separated 
from her body, she forfeits all power over it. "Man, 
when he shall be dead, and stripped, and consumed, 
zvhere, I pray you, is he? As if the waters should 
depart out of the sea, and an emptied river should be 
dried up" — cannot by themselves fill up again their 
beds — " so man, when he is fallen asleep in death, shall 
not rise again till the heavens be broken, and he shall 
not awake, nor rise tip from his sleep of the grave" 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



585 



(Job, xiv, 10-12.) When the ghastly form of death 
seizes its victim, no human power or skill can snatch 
it from his cold and deadly grasp. The sinner is 
more completely in the power of death, than the 
pinioned criminal is in the power of the executioner. 
God alone, who can forgive sin, is able to save the 
sinner. As no sinner can forgive himself, hence no 
man can save himself from the inevitable penalty 
of death and of final corruption. "Man when he shall 
be dead, and stripped, and consumed, where, I pray you, 
is he ?" The soul knows where she is, but man knows 
it not. Jesus, however, is not a mere man. Jesus is 
man and God, He can die or live as He pleases. If 
He consents to die, He can return to life whenever 
He likes. " I lay down my life," He says, "that I may 
take it up again." I die to demonstrate the reality 
of my human nature; I take up my life again, as a 
living man takes up his garments, to show the 
power of my divinity. Death with me is not a 
sign of weakness, but an argument of power. 
" No man taketh life away from me, but I lay it 
down of myself ; and I have power to lay it down, 
and I have power to take it up again!' (John, x, 17.) 
This power over death is more than human ; it is 
absolutely divine. The resurrection of Jesus, then, is 
the work of God. It is the triumph of His divinity. 
He died to prove the truth of His incarnation, and 
the reality of His assumed human nature; He rose 
from death to demonstrate the profound mystery 
of the hypostatic union. "For," as St. Paul says, 
"though he ivas crucified through weakness, yet he 
liveth by the power of God." (2 Cor., xiii, 4.) This 
devine power is His own personal attribute as the 
eternal Word of God. Jesus died when and how 
He liked, He rose from the dead when and how 
He pleased. "He is risen," the angel said to the 
devout women. Mark well the angelic expression, 
"He is risen," but not raised. Raised by nobody, 
risen by himself. "I have power to lay down my^ life y 
and I have power to take it up again." May divine 



586 The Voice of Jesus Stiffering. 



Jesus be forever praised, honored, and glorified in 
heaven and upon earth by all angels and men ! 

VIII. There is, however, another consideration to 
be made, which is the final crown of our Saviour's 
resurrection. All persons restored to life remained 
as before, subject to sufferings, sorrow, and death. 
Through a miraculous resurrection, they only re- 
ceived a lease of a few years more of life, but they 
had again to suffer and to die. Such, however, is not 
the case with our divine Lord. Jesus alone, of His 
own divine power, rises from the tomb impassible and 
immortal. " Christ ! , rising again from the dead, dieth 
now no more. Death shall no more have dominion over 
him." (Rom., vi, 9.) 

IX. So perfect and so absolute is the dominion 
that our Lord has over death, that, besides raising 
His own dead body from the grave, He restored 
life to many other persons. " The graves were opened" 
St. Matthew says, "and many bodies of the saints that 
had slept, arose ; and, coming out of the tombs after 
His resurrection, came into the holy city and appeared 
to many persons" (xxviii, 52.) 

Modern infidels, who, in their pride, refuse to 
believe the testimony of such witnesses, must surely 
be worse in their impiety than the reprobate Dives 
in hell, who appealed to and trusted in the power 
and efficacy of their evidence for the conversion of 
his five unbelieving brothers (Luke, xvi, 28). But let 
us leave the dead to bury the dead ; let us speedily 
return to the Author of life. 

In the name and through the power of Jesus, 
innumerable persons have had their bodily health 
restored, and their temporal life preserved, when, 
by every law of nature, death should have exercised 
its dreaded dominion over them. In the same 
adorable name, and through the divine power of 
our risen Lord, many thousands of dead persons 
have been raised to life. More numerous, more 
frequent and greater miracles of grace have been, 
and are, continually wrought in the name and 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



587 



through the power of Jesus in the conversion of 
sinners, and in the resurrection and sanctification 
of souls supernaturally dead. " / am the resurrec- 
tion and the life" our Lord says: "he that believeth 
in me, although he be dead, shall live. And every one 
that liveth and believeth in me, shall not die forever" 
(John, xi, 25.) 

Finally, it will be in the name and through the 
power of Jesus that all men shall rise again in the 
day of universal judgment. " The hour cometh zvhere- 
in all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the 
Son of God, and they that hear shall live. And they 
that have done good, shall come forth unto the resurrec- 
tion of life ; but they that have done evil, unto the 
resurrection of judgment." (John, v, 25.) All this is 
more than sufficient to demonstrate the immense 
power possessed by our divine Redeemer in life 
and in death, and after His glorious resurrection. 
Let us believe, adore and worship Him as theKing 
of kings, and Lord of lords. Let us unite in the 
universal and loud acclaim of the exulting angels : 
" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power 
and dignity, and wisdom and strength, and honor and 
glory x and benediction." (Apoc, v, 12.) 

Second Point. 

Glory of Jesus Christ in His resurrection. 

From St. Paul we learn the cause of our Saviour's 
glory at His resurrection. This was His voluntary 
humility and profound abasement. " He humbled 
himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death 
of the cross. Wherefore God also hath exalted him." 
(Phil., ii, 8.) On the golden altar of holy obedience 
our Lord sacrificed all His power and liberty for 
the honor and glory of his heavenly Father. But 
at His resurrection He received in return the most 
absolute freedom, and most boundless authority 
and power. This we have already considered. 



588 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



We should now give a glance at the humility 
which obtained for Him the immense glory of His 
resurrection. 

I. " He humbled himself . Learn of me , for I am meek 
and humble of heart." (Matt., xi, 29.) Our blessed 
Lord allowed His enemies to humble and degrade 
Him in every way that their malice could suggest. 
Those wicked men did everything in their power 
to rob our Saviour of the attribute of His holiness, 
and to cover Him before the whole world with the 
infamy of the most heinous crimes. His private and 
public character was assailed. He was despised for 
His supposed low extraction, poverty, and igno- 
rance. He was publicly reproached for drunken- 
ness and sorcery, for pride and ambition. He was 
accused before the public tribunals as a religious 
impostor and an impious blasphemer, seducing and 
perverting the people of the entire nation. He 
was impeached before the Roman governor for 
high-treason and rebellion against Caesar. " We 
have found this man" they said to Pilate, " perverting 
the people, beginning fro7n Galilee even unto Judea 9 
refusing to give the tribute to Ccesar, making himself 
a king, and the Christ" Scourged at the pillar, like 
a vile slave, He was condemned to die upon a 
cross between two highway-robbers. Behold how 
profoundly " Jesus humbled himself becoming obedient 
unto death, even the death of the cross" But after 
so many profound humiliations voluntarily endured 
by our dear Lord, let every Christian heart rejoice 
at, and every tongue proclaim, the manifold glories 
of His resurrection. u We see Jesus, for the suffering 
of death, crowned zvith honor and glory." (Heb., ii, 9.) 

II. All that we have considered in the first point 
about the power of our risen Lord, is intended by 
God to enhance His glory. On account of His 
resurrection Jesus is glorified and honored in heaven 
and on earth by angels and by men. "Made a little 
less than the angels at His incarnation' ' (Heb., ii, 9), 
our Lord, through His resurrection, is constituted 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



589 



" the head of all principality and pozver." (Col., ii, 
10.) He deserved this glory through His humility 
and obedience, through His sufferings and death, 
even the death of the cross, "for which God gave 
him a name that is above every name, that in the name 
of .Jesus every knee should bow of those that are in 
heaven!' (Phil., ii, 10.) For, in our glorified Saviour 
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corporally. 
yCol. ii, 9.) "Hence God raised him from the dead, 
and set him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 
above all principality and power, and virtue and 
do7nnion, and every name that is named, not only in 
this world, but also in that which is to come. And he 
has put all things under his feet, and hath made him 
tJie head over all the Church, which is his body, and the 
fulness of him who is filled all in all" (Eph., i, 20.) 
According to St. Dionysius, our risen Lord ennobles 
and perfects the angelic nature, purifying and 
illumining their intelligence about the mysteries of 
Redemption (S. Dionys. 6, 7, de Coelest. Hierarch.) ; 
that, as St. Paul says, " the manifold wisdom of God 
may be made known to the principalities and powers in 
heavenly places, through the Church." (Eph., iii, 10.) 

He wonderfully increases their happiness by the 
presence of His glorious humanity, by filling with 
glorified souls the thrones forfeited by the rebellious 
angels ; and by facilitating their angelic ministra- 
tions in behalf of men, in consequence of His having 
defeated, by His passion and death, the powers of 
darkness, and by having established on earth His 
kingdom of truth and grace. The knowledge of 
all these admirable effects of our Saviour's passion, 
death, and resurrection, the contemplation of the 
immense glory of His risen humanity, and the glory 
and happiness of the saints, fill with admiration and 
love all the angelic spirits who, in the ravishment of 
their joy, compose and sing new hymns of praise and 
thanksgiving in His honor. (Apoc, v, 9.) See also 
St. Thomas, Quaest. 29, de Veritate, art. 7. 

II. But because our Saviour's redemption was 



590 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

principally intended for man, and because He 
assumed our human nature in order to achieve all 
these glorious results, hence the triumph of His 
resurrection is first celebrated upon earth. " The 
death of Jesus," St. Augustine says, " is our life, 
His resurrection is our glory, His ascension is our 
consecration and hope." (Serm. iii, de Ascens.) We 
were a mass of damnation, says St. Augustine, doom- 
ed to be the everlasting fuel of eternal flames, but 
Jesus has suffered for us in His passion, and through 
His death He has restored us to the life of grace. 
In Jesus " we have redemption through his blood, 
the remission of sins according to the riches of his 
grace, making peace through the blood of his cross, 
both as to the things that are on earth, and the things 
that are in heaven." (Col., i, 14, 20.) His resur- 
rection is both the cause and the model of our 
future resurrection. Our risen Lord being the 
head of the Church, which is His body and the 
fulness of Him, has infallibly secured for us a 
glorious resurrection. For, where the head is, the 
whole body also must be. " Whither the glory of 
the head has preceded," St. Leo says, " thither the 
hope of the body is fixed" — "Quo prcecessit gloria 
capitis, eo spes vocatur et corporis." (S. Leo. P., 
Serm. i, de Ascens.) "For our Lord Jesus Christ will 
reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body 
of his glory, according to the operation whereby also he 
is able to subdue all things unto himself." (Phil, iii, 
21.) Hence, according to Tertullian, the resurrec- 
tion of Jesus from the dead is the sure hope of the 
Christian's resurrection. "Spes Christianorum est 
resurrectio mortuorum" (Lib. de Resurrectione.) 

Pause here for a moment, Christian soul, and 
reflect on the glory that will accrue to our divine 
Redeemer in the day of the universal resurrection 
when all the elect will be gathered together, like 
so many brilliant planets, round the eternal Sun 
of Justice. Reflect on the honor and glory, the 
hymns of praise and thanksgiving, which will be 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



591 



offered to the divine King of kings, the conqueror 
of sin, death, and hell, by all the angels and saints 
in the kingdom of heaven during all blessed eternity. 
• ■ To him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb, 
benediction, and honor, and glory, and power for ever 
and ever." Amen. (Apoc, v, 13.) 

III. But the glory of our Saviour's resurrection 
is neither reserved to the future, nor confined to 
heaven, but, on the contrary, He began to enjoy 
it immediately upon earth; and during two thou- 
sand years this glory has never been eclipsed, but 
its brightness has continued to increase with 
the growth and expansion of Christian faith and 
devotion, 

Let it be an honor to mankind that the first glory 
given to our risen Lord was offered to Him in the 
sepulchre by those blessed saints who were the 
witnesses of His resurrection. When these glorified 
souls beheld the most sacred body of our Saviour 
reanimated by His human spirit, fully restored to 
immortal life, and endowed and adorned with the 
four supernatural qualities of impassibility, subtlety, 
agility, and splendor, they were filled with admira- 
tion and joy at the majesty of His glory, and 
bowed to Him in profound homage of adoration. 
If, at His temporal transfiguration on Mount Thabor, 
the mortal body of our Lord shone like the sun in 
its meridian splendor, and if His poor garments 
became as white as snow (Matt., xvii, 2) ; what 
must have been the beauty, the majesty, the splen- 
dor of the risen and glorified body of our thrice 
blessed Saviour adorned with immortality and in 
full possession of the divinity ! ... If the moment- 
arily assumed human countenance of the angel at 
the sepulchre " zvas as lightning," and his borrowed 
garment for the occasion "was as snow" (Matt., 
xxviii, 3), O Christian faith ! help me to find some 
imagery to conceive the glory of the risen King of 
heaven and earth, of angels and men. I know not 
what to think, or what to say except that " it was 



592 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



a man -God in the full blaze of his heavenly splen- 
dor ; it was Jesus crowned with honor and glory." 
Those blessed saints in that sepulchre, now changed 
into a terrestrial paradise, could say with St. Paul, 
" We see Jesus, for the suffering of death, crowned 
zvith glory and honor." (Heb., ii, 9.) But, if the 
eternal Father, when he introduced His first-be- 
gotten into the world, and clothed Him with our 
mortal flesh of sin, said, "Let all the angels of 
God adore him' (Heb., i, 6), will not all the angels 
of heaven be invited now to the sepulchre to adore 
their risen and glorified Lord in company with the 
millions of assembled saints ? If Jesus was adored 
and worshipped by them when He assumed the 
flesh of our infirmity, the body of our mortality, 
the dress of our lowness and depravity, does He 
not deserve to be honored and adored by all His 
creatures now that, through His resurrection, He 
has changed human weakness into strength and 
virtue, our mortality into life eternal, our depravity 
into holiness, and our infamy into glory ? (St. Leo, 
Papa, Serm. de Ascens.) Oh ! yes, even in the 
sepulchre, " we see Jesus, for the suffering of 
death, crowned zvith honor and glory " by God, by 
angels, and by saints. 

IV. The nature, however, and the circumstances 
of a sepulchre, even the sepulchre of Jesus, 
which His resurrection has made glorious, are 
not adapted for the full display of His glory. 
The whole earth gives signs of joy in a thrill 
of pleasure ; the sun of heaven, that refused to 
shine at His death, accelerates its rising to 
behold the glory of its risen Creator ; but our 
Lord prevents the sun in coming out from His 
closed and sealed tomb, and in the company of 
His glorified saints, He pays His first visit of 
love and respect to His holy Mother, engaged 
in fervent prayer, and sustained in the firm 
hope of His speedy resurrection. Such is the 
opinion of Catholic divines after St. Ambrose, St. 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



593 



Anselm, St. Bonaventure. (In vita Christi, cap. 87.) 
May we not here with good reason piously imagine 
we hear our risen Lord explaining 1;o His most 
beloved Mother the four admirable prerogatives ot 
His glorified body ? Her dignity of Mother, her 
extraordinary sanctity, her love for Him, the very 
large share Mary had in her Son's passion, her 
excessive sorrow, and complete desolation, deserved, 
on this solemn occasion, this consolation from her 
blessed Son. 

There was another very strong reason why 
our risen Saviour should appear in the company 
of His beatified saints to His most holy Mother, 
and explain to her the new qualities of His 
glorified body. The reality of our Saviour's resur- 
rection in His own identical body is a fundamental 
dogma of Christian faith. "For" as St. Paul says, 
"if Christ be not risen again, your faith is vain, for 
you are in your sins yet" (1 Cor., xv, 17.) Moreover, 
as our Saviour's resurrection is the cause and 
model of our resurrection, not only our faith is 
vain, but our hope in a future resurrection is 
groundless, if His own resurrection is a sham. 
"For if we have been planted in the likeness of his death, 
in like manner we shall be of his resurrection!' (Rom., 
vi, 4.) Our blessed Lord, well knowing how essen- 
tial this dogma of His resurrection is to Christianity, 
took every desirable opportunity to prove it to 
His apostles and disciples. His manifold appari- 
tions to them, that they might at their leisure 
examine the identity of His body, His gracious 
invitation to handle and feel His sacred hands and 
feet, were all intended for the same object. St. 
Luke says that at His first apparition His disciples 
were troubled and doubtful, when our Lord ad- 
dressed them in the following words: Why are 
you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts ? 
See my hands and my feet, that it is myself ; feel and 
see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me 
have. And when he had said this, he showed them his 



594 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



hands and his feet'' The apostles were not disposed 
to be credulous. To strengthen our faith, our 
Lord wished them to have other proofs of His 
resurrection, before they fully believed in it. 
Hence, St. Luke continues : "But while they yet 
believed not, and wondered for joy, our Lord said to 
them : Have you here anything to eat ? And they offered 
him a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb ; and 
when he had eaten before them, taking the remains, he 
gave to them. And he said to them\ These are the 
words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you^ 
that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written 
in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in 
the Psalms concerning me. Then he opened their 
understanding, that they might understand the Scrip- 
tures, and said to them : . Thus it is written, and thus 
it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from 
the dead the third day. . . . And you are witness of 
these things." (Luke, xxiv, 36.) But because His 
apostle Thomas was not present on this important 
occasion, and obstinately refused to believe in the 
resurrection unless he saw his Master with his 
own eyes, and put his finger in the print of His 
hands, and his whole hand in His opened side, our 
risen Saviour appeared again eight days after to 
all His disciples and apostles, in the same place, 
the door and windows being shut, and standing in 
the midst of all, He said : " Peace be to you. Then he 
said to Thomas : Put in thy finger and see my hands, 
and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side, and 
be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered 
and said: My Lord and my God ! Jesus said to 
him : Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast 
believed: Blessed are they that have not seen, and 
have believed." (John, xx, 27.) These and other 
manifestations, given by our divine Saviour to His 
disciples and apostles in proof of the reality and 
identity of His resurrection, should be more than 
sufficient to convince any reasonable mind of the 
truth of this dogma of Christian faith. 



The Resurrection of Jesus, 



595 



However, as no person upon earth could know 
and recognize Him better than His own most 
holy Mother, it was proper that, in company with 
the newly beatified saints, our Lord should appear 
to her, and give her an explanation of the nature of 
His resurrection. Moreover, our Lord intended to 
leave His Mother behind Him upon earth, that she 
might instruct His disciples, and confirm the 
apostles in this and other fundamental dogmas of 
Christianity. Behold, then, our risen Saviour, ac- 
companied by all beatified saints, and especially by 
the glorious Saint Joseph, early in the morning, 
whilst our blessed Lady was in fervent prayer and 
meditation, enters her room, like a flash of lightning, 
and salutes her in the most affectionate manner. He 
shows Himself to His afflicted Mother, full of glory 
and happiness. In sweetest words of filial affection, 
Jesus consoles her sorrowful heart by the reflection 
that His sufferings are now happily ended, and that 
through His resurrection, His body, being endowed 
with immortality, is no longer subject to suffering 
or sorrow of any kind. " For he being risen from 
the dead by the glory of the Father ', dieth now no 
more : death shall no more have dominion over him." 
(Rom., vi, 4, 9.) All his former sufferings are now 
turned into an immense ocean of everlasting joys. 
His passion and* death having atoned for the sins 
of mankind, His resurrection and glory become 
the cause and the form of the resurrection of all 
His elect ; and as the first-fruits and specimens of 
whom, He now most graciously presents to her, her 
beatified spouse, Joseph, her two holy parents, with 
St. John the Baptist, St. Elizabeth, St. Zachary 
and all other saints. Our risen Lord promises His 
Mother that she would soon shine among them, 
as the moon shines amidst the stars of heaven. 
For, " he was the beginnings the first-fruit of the 
dead, the head of the body of the Church, that in all 
things he may hold the primacy, because in him it has 
well pleased I lis Father that all fulness should divell" 



596 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

(Col., i, 18.) Being the Head of His Church, His 
resurrection was a sure pledge of the resurrection 
of all the faithful members of His mystical body. 
44 For, as by Adam" there present, "came death, so 
by him is also come resurrection ; and because in Adam 
all die, so in him and through him, all his elect shall 
Live in the glory of his immortality." (1 Cor., xv, 2C.) 

As a proof of the qualities of His glorified body, 
our risen Lord informs His happy Mother that with 
those blessed spirits He came forth from the rocky 
sepulchre without opening it, as they all, without 
the least difficulty, came into her closed room to 
visit and console her. His body was now so com- 
pletely under the absolute dominion of His soul, that 
it could in an instant be transferred from one to the 
other end of the world. Created nature cannot 
oppose the least obstacle to its irresistible progress. 
Our Lord was then pleased to give our blessed 
Lady a specimen of His glory, filling her room with 
such a flood of heavenly light that the full splendoi 
of the material sun, in comparison to it, was less 
than the light of a candle. 

In fact, if after the general resurrection, when, ac- 
cording to St. Peter, there will " be a new earth and 
new heavens " (2 Peter, iii, 13), 44 the light of the moon 
shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun 
shall be sevenfold" (Isa., xxx, 26), who can form any 
idea of the splendor of the risen Sun of Eternal 
Justice, when, for the consolation and joy of His 
afflicted Mother, our Lord wished to give her a 
full specimen of the glory of His resurrection? . . . 
O ! let us sing with the jubilant Church in her Easter 
canticle of congratulation with this happy Mother : 
44 Rejoice, O Queen of heaven ! rejoice, because 
this blessed Son of thy virginal heart, according to 
His promise, is now risen from death. Alleluia " — 
44 Resurrexit sicut dixit. Alleluia." 

V. In the meantime, His holy angel with a single 
puff of his breath rolls back, with a great noise, the 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



597 



heavy stone from the mouth of the sepulchre, and in 
the presence of the startled soldiers he sits himself 
down upon it to defy and mock their impotent 
efforts. Terrified by his presence, and astonished 
at the emptiness of the tomb, the guards return to 
the city to announce to their disconcerted superiors 
our Saviour's resurrection from death. Thus the 
power of truth makes the enemies of Jesus the 
first heralds of His risen glory. 

On the first day of His resurrection, our Lord 
manifests His glory no less than six different times, 
namely, to His most holy Mother, to the Magdalen 
alone, to the pious women, to Peter, to the two 
disciples going to Emmaus, and lastly to the apos- 
tles assembled together. (Luke, xxiv, 36.) During 
the forty days before His ascension, our blessed 
Saviour manifested himself five other times to his 
apostles and disciples ; and, lastly, He appeared 
to Saul at the gate of Damascus, when, from a 
persecutor, He changed him into one of the most 
fervent and zealous of His apostles. (Acts, ix.) In 
this way He confirmed the reality of His resur- 
rection, manifested to them the glorious qualities 
of His risen body, enlightened their minds to under- 
stand the Scriptures, spoke to them of His kingdom 
of faith and grace, gave them power to forgive sins, 
to work miracles in His name, and finally com- 
manded them to teach all nations, and to preach 
His Gospel to all creatures, promising " to be with 
them all days even to the consummation of the world." 
(Matt., xxviii, 20.) 

The miracles which the apostles wrought, the 
rapid conversion of mankind to Christianity, the 
voluntary subjection of the brightest human intel- 
lects to the faith of Christ, the constancy of millions 
of martyrs, the heroic sanctity of confessors, the 
angelic purity of virgins, the holiness, the power, 
the miraculous propagation and preservation of the 
Church of the living God, are a perpetual procla- 
mation to mankind of the glory of our Saviour's 



598 The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

resurrection. " For to this end Christ died and rose 
again, that he might be the Lord both of the dead and 
of the living" (Rom., xiv, 9.) But the full glory of 
His blessed resurrection will be manifested " when 
the Lord himself shall come doivn from heaven with 
commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and 
with the trumpet of God, and the dead, who are in 
Christ, shall rise, then we shall be caught up together 
in the clouds, to meet Christ in the air; and thus par- 
takers of his glory, shall zve be always with the Lord," 
contemplating his majesty, admiring his wisdom, 
praising his mercy, and loving his goodness during 
a happy eternity. (1 Thess., iv, 15, 16.) 

Third Point. 

" Sanctity of Jesus in His resurrection from the 
dead" 

Undertaking to prove the sanctity of the incar- 
nate Son of God, is like the attempt to demonstrate 
that there is heat in the fire, light in the sun, or 
water in the ocean. Holiness is in Jesus an essen- 
tial attribute, because He is a divine person. The 
archangel announced to His virgin Mother that 
the child who was to be born of her should be holy, 
because He was the Son of God. (Luke, i, 35.) St. 
Paul teaches that " Jesus was holy, innocent, unde- 
filed, separated from sinners, and made higher than the 
heavens." (Heb., vii, 26.) The holy prophet Isaias 
foretold that " there shall come forth a rod out of 
the root of Jesse', and a flower shall rise up out of his 
root, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, and 
he shall be filled with the spirit of godliness." (Isa., 
xi, 1.) We may, however, consider our Saviour's 
resurrection as the seal of His holiness, and as the 
source of our sanctity. 

I. As the holy prophet Isaias had foretold that our 
Saviour's sepulchre should be rendered glorious by 
His resurrection, so holy David said that God would 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



599 



not allow the body of His most holy Son to see cor- 
ruption. Hence, St. Peter, in his first sermon to the 
Jews in Jerusalem, on the great solemnity of Pente- 
cost, said : " David, for seeing, spoke of the resurrec- 
tion of Christ, for neither was lie left in hell" (in 
the grave), " neither did his flesh see corruption" (Acts, 
ii, 31.) We should never forget that resurrectioi 
from death is always the exclusive work ot God. 
By raising Jesus from the grave to a glorious im- 
mortality, God not only offered an incontrovert- 
able proof of His holiness, but gave also His divine 
sanction to all the doctrines preached by our most 
holy Saviour. Our Lord had challenged the Jews 
to point out to Him the least sin in the conduct of 
His whole life. " Which of you shall convince me of 
sin ? If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe 
me ? He that is of God, heareth the words of God ; 
therefore you hear him ?iot, because you are not of God" 
(John, viii, 46.) In these words, our blessed Saviour 
plainly told the Jews that no sin could be found in 
Him, and consequently that He was an innocent 
and holy person. Secondly, He solemnly affirmed 
that all His doctrines were true, and that they were 
obliged to believe them. Thirdly, He taught them 
that He was the Son of God, and they refused to 
believe Him, because they were not of God. "He 
that is of God, heareth the words of God" 

If on this occasion our blessed Lord told the 
Jews only indirectly that He was God, in other cir- 
cumstances He spoke more plainly. He told them 
that "he and the Father were one" (John, x, 30.) In 
confirmation of this fundamental doctrine of Chris- 
tianity our blessed Lord appealed to His miracles, 
and said to the Jews : " Do you say of him, zvhom the 
Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou 
blasphemest ; because I said, I am the Son of God? . . . 
If I do not the works of my Father believe me 7iot ; but 
if I do, though you will ?wt believe me, believe the 
works, that you may know and believe that the Father 
is in me, and I in the Father." (John, ibid^ In the 



6oo The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 

presence of large multitudes of people, our Saviour 
raised Lazarus to life from the grave, that they 
might believe that He was God, the Master of life 
and death. (John, xi, 42.) He confirmed this 
doctrine before His judges. He was condemned to 
the death of the cross, because He made Himself 
the Son of God. The Jews said to Pilate : " We have 
a law, and according to the law he ought to die, because 
he made himself the Son of God." (John, xix, 7.) 
For this cause our Lord was condemned to the 
death of the cross. He died upon it. He was 
buried. 

Now, His resurrection from the dead, expressly 
and distinctly foretold by Him, not only proves His 
sanctity and His prophetical wisdom, but, above all, 
it is the most evident and irrefragable proof of His 
divinity. Through the glorious resurrection of His 
divine Son, God gives to the whole world the most 
convincing evidence of His holiness, and proclaims 
Him to be His well-beloved Son, whom all men 
should hear, believe and worship. We must, there- 
fore, conclude, either that, through the resurrection 
of Jesus, God has deceived all mankind, and made 
all Christians commit during nineteen centuries the 
horrible crime of idolatry in worshipping Jesus, and 
consequently that we neither have a Redeemer, nor 
a God ; or, we must believe in the innocence, 
holiness, and divinity of Jesus Christ. But because 
God can neither be deceived, nor deceive, therefore 
the resurrection of our Lord obliges us to believe 
both in His holiness, and in His divine nature. 

Moreover, if Jesus be God, Christianity is a divine 
religion. Christianity having been established by 
Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, must be 
visible upon earth to all men, so long as there are 
men to be saved. The religion of Jesus Christ is 
the religion proclaimed by the Holy Ghost, with 
tongues of fire, on the Feast of Pentecost ; it is the 
religion of the apostles, it is the religion which the 
apostles were commanded to preach, and did preach, 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



60 1 



to all nations; it is the One, the Holy Catholic 
Apostolic Roman Church. "The God of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, hath raised up his 
Son from the dead, and hath set him at his right 
hand in the heavenly places ; above all principality and 
power, and virtue, and dominion, and every name that 
is named, not only in this world, but also in that which 
is to come ; and lie hath put all things under his feet, 
and hath made him Head over all the Church, which 
is his body, and the fulness of him, who is filled all 
in all." (Eph., i, 17-23.) 

II. It is evident that the resurrection of our 
blessed Lord is the seal of His divinity, bat it is 
also the source of our sanctity. All that we have 
so far said upon this subject proves both points, be- 
cause they are essentially connected. But we have 
a few words more to add to render this truth more 
precious. 

Had the eternal Son of God been incarnate, as 
some, or rather many, learned Christian divines 
opine, without the necessity of the atonement, but 
only for the perfection of the universe, His glori- 
ous resurrection would have fully accomplished 
this grand work, which might be called the sanctifi- 
cation of the physical world. "For, in him were all 
things created in heaven and on earth, visible and 
invisible. . . . All things were created in him and 
by him." (Col., i, 16.) "In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God. The same was in the beginning with God. All 
things were made by him ; and without him was made 
nothing that was made." (John i, 1.) The wise man 
says : "All the rivers run into tlie sea, yet the sea doth 
not overflow : unto the place from whence the rivers 
come, they return to flow again" (EccL, i, 7.) As the 
eternal Word is the origin of all creatures, so Jesus 
Christ must be the Author of their final perfection, 
and the immediate link of their union with God. He 
says: "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and 
end." (Apoc, i, 8.) This union was to be effected 



602 



The Voice of Jesus Suffering. 



through the incarnation ; and the perfection of the 
incarnation is the glorification of our Saviour's 
humanity. Thus, in the glorified humanity of the 
incarnate Son of God, the whole creation would 
have been elevated and perfected to give eternal 
glory to the divine Creator. 

Since, however, the fall of Adam, the incarnation 
became necessary for the salvation of man, and its 
effects have been so ampLe and magnificent for our 
fallen humanity, that the Church sings in those 
sublime words : "O felix culpa, quce talem ac tantum 
meruit habere Redemptorem" O happy sin of Adam ! 
that procured for us so great a Redeemer! The 
resurrection of our Saviour is the accomplish- 
ment and the crown of human redemption, as it is 
the divine seal of our Saviour's incarnation. The 
risen humanity of our Lord is the efficient cause of 
the sanctification of our souls : "For to this end Christ 
died and rose again, that he might be the Lord 
both of the dead and of the living" (Rom., xiv, 9.) 
The glorified humanity of our Saviour is the instru- 
ment of the divinity for the sanctification of our 
souls : " For he zvas delivered up for our sins, and 
rose again for our justification" (Rom., iv, 25.) 
The resurrection of our Lord is the most certain 
hope of our future resurrection : " For, if we have 
been planted together in the likeness of his death, 
in like manner we shall be of his resurrection ; and 
if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall 
live together with Christ." (Rom., vi, 5.) More- 
over, the glorious resurrection of our divine Re- 
deemer is the happy model and measure of our 
iuture resurrection, because both in soul and body, 
in time and eternity, we have to be made conform- 
able to the living image of Christ. " For whom 
God foreknew, he also predestinated to be made 
conformable to the image of his Son; so that he 
might be the first-born among his brethren." (Rom., 
viii, 29.) That is, God has preordained that all His 



The Resurrection of Jesus. 



603 



elect should be conformable to the image of His 
divine Son, Jesus. Lastly, all Catholic divines teach 
that the glorified humanity of our blessed Lord and 
Saviour is the physical instrument of all the graces 
and supernatural gifts bestowed by God upon our 
souls, and of all the miracles that are wrought in 
behalf of mankind. " Nos mors Christi vivijicavit, 
nos resurrectio erexit, nos ascensio consecravit." (St. 
August. Serm. iii, de Ascens.) 

The seven sacraments are so many channels 
springing from the fountain-head of our Lord's 
glorified humanity, conveying to us every grace 
and blessing necessary for the sanctification, per- 
fection, and final salvation of our souls. Hence, we 
may conclude that every baptized child, all priests 
and bishops, the profession of every religious person, 
every virtuous action performed, all converted 
sinners, every sin forgiven, every soul that enters 
heaven, all canonized saints, all sacred temples 
erected in God's holy honor, every act of divine 
worship, all the sacraments administered in the 
Church of Christ, and especially the hundreds and 
thousands of masses offered daily at every hour of 
the day, from the rising of the sun to the setting tliere- 
of (for the sun never sets in the Catholic Church), 
are the glorious effects of our Saviour's resurrection, 
and the magnificent proofs of His immense and 
boundless holiness. For, it is only in Him, through 
Him, and for Him, that every virtuous action is 
performed. Without Him wc can do nothing. Hence, 
whether we eat or drink, pray or work, write or 
speak, live or die, or whatsoever else we do, we 
should do all for the honor and glory of God, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the 
Father and the Holy Ghost, be honor and praise, 
benediction and glory, and power, for ever and ever. 
Amen. 



Finis. 




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